Change of Life
by imajisaheartlandfan
Summary: When the flying doctors go out on a seemingly 'normal' clinc run, they meet a girl with a troubled past. Over time, she becomes the newest member of the team, and a great help, until her past comes back to haunt her... *ON HOLD TILL FURTHER NOTICE* *READ PROFILE FOR INFORMATION*
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

For as long as young Josie Brown could remember, she had been unwanted, an article her father would have been happy to dispose of, like a used rag. It had always been that way, she had never belonged, never been loved, just threatened into doing what he would ask of her. It had started when her mother had died, giving birth to her, taking the only thing her father cared for more than his whisky. She had been raised by her elder sister till she was six, then her sister left in the dead of night with her boyfriend to start a new life in Sydney without her. She was used to the rejection, used to the abuse the town drunk of a father would give her, and expected that It was how she was going to be treated all her life. But one day, a twist of fate would change her life forever, for the better…

 **Chapter 1**

'Going out to the Dallyworth Station today David?' DJ asked as he placed his shoes on the desk and leaned back against his chair.

'Yep, me, Kate, Tom and Geoff.' He checked that he had everything in his bag. 'It should only be a short trip, there's only a couple or so patients to attend to.'

'Oh, that's good then. Hopefully you won't run into the beast of Coopers Crossing. Might send you packing if you did.'

'Beast?' David raised his eyebrows.

'Aw, don't worry about it David.' Kate replied, joining the conversation as she leaned against the door post. 'He's just a drunken old coot that took up squatters rights. Gill Brown his name is, an ornery fellow if I ever did meet one.'

'Yeh, it's no wonder his daughter took off to Sydney, with a monster like he is.' DJ agreed. 'I've never heard what happened to his other girl, I expect Sara took her with her when she left.'

'How long ago was that?'

'From what I've heard, about eight years ago.' Kate finished gathering the things for the clinic run. 'Alright, let's get going, we don't want to be late.'

* * *

'I want to thank you for coming out this far. You guys do a great job.' Brett Robinson said as he drove them back to the plane after they had finished taking care of the station hands. 'I don't know what we would do if we didn't have the RFDS.'

'That's what we are here for.' David replied as the car pulled up beside the plane. 'Thanks for the lift.'

'No problem.' He turned to Tom. 'Next time I'm in town, I'll buy you a drink. I haven't had much of a chance to catch up with you since you've been back, with all the calves and stuff.'

'I'd appreciate that.' Tom patted him on the shoulder as he got out, grabbing his bag. 'See you around.'

'You too.' He put the car into gear and drove off back to his house.

'We just about ready to go Sam?' Kate asked as she put her stuff into the plane. 'I so can't wait to get back and sit under the air conditioner.'

Sam chuckled as he finished his pre flight checks. 'Almost done Kate, just a couple things left.'

'You might have to wait a bit longer Kate.' Geoff replied to her as he saw a horse and rider coming up onto the air strip, headed in their direction. 'Hello.'

'Hi.' The young girl managed to reply as she pulled her horse to a stop, glad to see she had been right. It was the flying doctors. 'I don't want to be a bother, but I saw your plane fly over, and I'm in need of a little medical help.'

David walked over to the girl and patted her horse, noticing that the girl looked rather weak. 'What seems to be the matter?'

'Had a run in with a star picket.' She began to pull up her pant leg, showing a dirty bloody bandage. 'I did the best I could to clean it, but it's gotten so bad I can barely ride, let alone walk.'

'Let's take a look at it then.' He helped her get off the horse, noticing that Sam had taken hold of him, then carried her into the plane, the other three following. 'Why haven't you come for help earlier? You could have radioed.'

'Don't have a radio.' She replied, gritting her teeth he put her on the bed, then began to unbandage the wound. 'Well, one that works anyway. I tried to keep it as clean as I could, but the star picket was quite rusty. I flushed it out with hot salt water, but it mustn't have gotten it all out.'

Kate made a low whistle as she looked over Davids shoulder at the wound. 'When did this happen-' She asked questioningly, realizing the girl hadn't told them her name.

'Oh, sorry. Its Josie.' She apologized, then bit her lip because of the pain she was in from the wound. 'I forget my manners most of the time.'

'Don't worry about it Josie.' Kate smiled. 'Happens to the best of us. I'm Nurse Kate, this is Dr. Ratcliffe Dr. Standish, Dr. Callaghan and our pilot Sam, who's holding your horse. How did you get injured like this anyway?'

'I came off Lightning while I was chasing a dingo and landed on the picket. It was hidden, buried in the dirt and there was only a few inches of it above the ground.' She explained as one of the other doctors began to listen to her lungs and heart with his stethoscope 'I'm just glad it was my leg and not my stomach or chest, cause I know that It would have turned out a lot worse. I think the picket won the fight fair and square though, it doesn't have a scratch on it.' Josie tried to crack a joke, then winced as she felt Dr Ratcliffe pull the wound apart wide to clean it. 'I'm just glad that I have a high pain tolerance, but it's starting to really hurt.'

'I can see why.' David gently began to clean the wound out, and measured how deep it was. The gash went almost to the bone, and it was a giant hole in her leg. 'How long ago did this happen?'

'About four days ago. I tried to keep it clean with the stuff I had, but this is a little out of my scope. It's going to need stitches, isn't it?'

'Not when it looks like that.' Geoff replied, checking the girls pulse and breathing rate while David, Kate and Tom worked on her leg. 'Why didn't you try and get help earlier? The station house isn't far from here, you could have called us from there.'

'My father wouldn't let me.' She bit her lip again, the reopened wound really starting to throb. 'He wouldn't let me leave to find help, and he wasn't bothered to go and call. I only just managed to get away today because he's passed out, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to leave.'

David raised his eyebrows at Josie, looking up from his work at her. 'What's wrong with him?'

'Oh nothing. He's just as drunk as a skunk that drank an entire ocean of beer.' She looked out the window. 'I just hope he doesn't wake up soon and find me missing. He'll kill me if he does, and I mean literally. Hes threatened to do it before, and I believe him.'

'Surely you're over exaggerating.' Kate said, hoping it was the case as she handed David more dressings, soaked in colloidal silver. 'Why does he get so drunk?'

'To forget.' She conscientiously pulled her sleeve back down after the nurse had taken her blood pressure, not wanting them to see the bruises her father had given her. 'My mother died giving birth to me, he blames me for her death. My sister raised me till I was six, then she took off and left me here with him. As for exaggerating, I'm not.' She paused for a moment, looking at their confused faces. 'I know what you're wondering. Why haven't I run away? Well, I can say this. I have tried, and every time I have, he's found me, and it's not pleasant when he does, so I don't bother any more, and I also don't want any pity either. He might be mean and have a bad temper, but I can put up with what he does. I'm not a weakling, and besides I have nowhere else to go.'

'What's your father's name Josie?' Tom asked as he began to write up a file for her. 'We might be able to help you get away from him, for good, especially if he's abusing you. The police can help in this matter.'

Josie shook her head, knowing what would happen if he thought she had gotten the cops onto him. 'I can't let the police get involved. I can't betray him, after all he is my father.'

'You could come with us Josie, till it can get sorted out.' Tom insisted, hearing in her voice how frightened she must be. 'We would like to help you as much as we can.'

'Thanks for the offer, but there's nothing you guys can do except just patch me up, he would never let me go, and people could get hurt. Badly.' She wrung her hands together, something she did when she was nervous. 'My father is a deaden out drunk, and my sister said before she left that he's a psychopath. As for his name, the guy needs no introduction. You all know of him.'

'Gill Brown.' Kate replied, figuring out the pieces of the puzzle. There was only one man who fit that description in and around Cooper's Crossing. So, this was his daughter, after all these years suddenly appearing again. 'Everyone thought you had gone with your sister. They never saw you after she had left, or else they would have tried to help.'

'They never saw me because he locks me up in my room whenever he goes to town to get his booze. He doesn't want anyone to know I exist, so that he can do whatever he wants and no one can stop him.' She closed her eyes momentarily as she felt a wave of pain flush over her. 'It's better if no one knows about this, for your safety. If my father finds out you know about me, you all could be in danger, and I don't want that to happen. Hes capable of anything.' She went silent, then looked at her leg, wanting to get away from the subject. It was something she didn't want to talk about much. 'The wounds bad, isn't it?'

David nodding, noticing she had shied away from the conversation but decided not to push it. 'Yes Josie, it is, but you already figured that one out.'

'What can you do about it?'

'You really should come back with us so we can take care of you properly.' Geoff replied, placing his hand on the girls forehead. 'Your burning up, severely dehydrated and that leg needs an x-ray.'

Josie shook he head at the mention of going with them. 'I already told you I can't. Just patch me up and I'll be on my way. I've already been gone too long, I really need to get back.'

Kate and David looked at each other. They all could see how bad the girls injury was, and they knew she needed to be in hospital, but they couldn't force her to go with them. Finally David relented. 'Alright, but Josie, I would really think it a better idea for you to come back with us.'

'I would if I could, but I can't.' She sighed. 'Just tell me how to look after the wound and I'll take care of it, it doesn't matter to him if I die anyway, he'll just have to wash his own clothes if I cark it.'

Kate handed David the dressings for the girls leg, then looked at Josie, deciding that it was best to change the subject while they finished taking care of the wound 'Nice horse you were riding out there. Does he have a name?'

Josie nodded, watching how David bandaged her leg so she could do it right herself later on. 'His name is Lightning, he's a race horse, purebred thoroughbred with papers and everything. That's the only good thing my father did, and that was win him as a yearling in a poker game about four years back. I took care of him because he doesn't like my father, he has a pretty bad temper and he can get quite vicious so he stays out of his way. Honestly, i'm surprised I've been able to keep him so long, I think his plan is to sell him, but to do that he has to be able to get near him, which he can't. He's pretty fast though, I reckon he's good enough for a few races. '

'Well, I'd bet on him if he was entered. I can always pick a winner when I see one, and he definitely is a winner.' David gently finished bandaging the girls leg, then pulled her trouser leg down for her over the bandage. 'How does that feel now?'

'A bit better thanks.' She went to stand up, but suddenly felt a little light headed and sat back down. 'Don't think I'll be mending fences for a couple weeks, Lightning's going to be stuck with me plating his mane to fill in the time.'

Geoff chuckled as he gently tapped her on the shoulder with his clipboard. 'I'm sure he's going to love it, but you'll need to stay off your leg when you get back home, you don't want to make it worse than it already is.'

'That's one thing we can agree on.' She teased back, then turned serious. 'I want to thank you for your help. I'm not sure what I would have done if I didn't see you guys fly over.'

'That's okay Josie.' Tom assured as he handed her a bag with spare bandages, cream and dressings. 'Is there anyway at all that you could get into town in a couple of days so we can check on it?'

'I can try.' She mused, thinking for a moment of how she could work it. 'I can't make any promises though, but I will attempt to come in. It might be late but cause I'll have to wait till I could get away without him knowing.'

'It will be okay Josie, just whenever you can get in. Nurse Kate and I are scheduled on Wednesday night at the base, but if you can't get in just keep it clean and drink lots of fluids, we'll be back by here next week, so you can come to the clinic at the station if you need to.' David quickly checked his watch, adding up how long the girl had been with them. He didn't want her to get into more trouble then she already was due to her father. 'Do you want me to give you a hand back to your horse?'

Josie nodded, holding onto the things she had been given. 'I'd appreciate that.'

'Alright, up you come.' He easily picked her up, then whispered to Kate to grab his lunch so that he could give it to Josie as he carried her out and put the girl onto her horse. 'There you go.'

'Thank you Dr. Ratcliffe.' She picked up the horses reins that Sam handed her, then put the bag into the saddlebags. 'Well, I'll be on my way now and let you get back to Coopers Crossing.'

'Just wait a minute Josie.' Kate asked as she got out of the plane and jogged over to her, handing her the food . 'Thought you might be hungry.'

"Thanks Sister Kate, it will save me finding something instead. I'm getting rather tired of wallaby." She picked up Lightnings reins, bringing the horse in to get ready to ride. "With a bit of luck, I'll see you guys again soon, so till then, bye for now."

"Bye Josie." David waived as the girl cantered off back into the trees on the edge of the forest, then turned to Kate, walking up the stairs into the plane. "I think I'll be having a little chat with Jack when we get back."

"Are you sure we should get involved?" Sam asked as he took his seat in the cockpit, Tom joining him. "Is there really much we can do?"

"We have to do something." Kate replied as she sat down next to the window, behind his chair. "I could see the fear in her eyes and hear it in her voice when she spoke about him. There has to be some way that we can get her away from him, she doesn't deserve to be treated like that."

Tom noticed that Geoff had been rather quiet about the whole matter as the plane took off, headed back to base. "What's your opinion, Geoff?"

Geoff was staring out the window when he heard his name mentioned and turned around. "Sorry, what did you say? I was a bit distracted."

"I'd say." Tom teased. "I asked what's your opinion about the girl? Should we try and do something or not?"

"I don't really know, to be honest." He replied, looking at his hands. "If she did get taken off him, where would she be sent? Into the foster care system? Where she could end up might be worse than being with him, at least she knows what to expect from him. She's being abused, I'll grant that, but would we want to get her into a worse situation? When I was a kid, there was a girl at school who had foster parents, and it didn't end well for her, probably worse then what Josie is getting."

"Well, what do you say we should do?" David questioned, knowing that there was more to what Geoff was saying then he cared to let on. "We can't just leave her there, knowing what he's doing to her, physically and mentally."

"I think we should have a talk to Jack." Geoff felt Kate's reassuring hand on his shoulder, she knew what he had been talking about regarding the girl he had known in school. "But only a talk. We need to find out where the law stands on the subject, but we also need to be prepared to take her in if necessary, until other arrangements can be made. She seemed to have taken a shining to you David."

"I kind of guessed that, thanks for pointing it out Geoff." He looked out the window as they flew over an empty paddock, then saw the girl and her horse galloping across the field to an old shack, an old red ute parked beside what looked like a run down slab stable. "That's where she must live."

Kate walked over to his side of the plane and glanced out. "That there is government land." Her eyes followed the girl as she rode up to the house, then couldn't see her anymore as they flew out of view. "It's a fair way out of town, there isn't another soul around for at least ten kilometers."

"And that's the way Gill would want it." Sam replied, checking the direction the plane was headed in, having heard bits and pieces of the conversation with had had with the girl. "I knew him before his wife died, he was always quiet an eccentric man, but whenever he goes to town to get his beer, I stay clear out of his way. He's as mad as a cut snake, that one."

"So, what do you think our chances are of him giving up Josie without a fight?" Tom asked as he got out the map for Sam. "He should be relieved to get her out of his hair, it would be one less mouth to feed."

"I don't think it's as easy as that." He picked up the radio microphone and held down the talk button. "Mike Sierra Foxtrot calling to Victor Charlie Charlie, do you read me?"

DJ back at the base heard the call come in and picked up the mic to reply. "Victor Charlie Charlie, go ahead Mike Sierra Foxtrot."

"The clinic is finished and we are headed on our way back. What's the weather at the strip like? Over."

"All clear for landing, just be careful of the easterly wind, its blowing at thirty kilometers an hour. Over."

"Alright, make sure that the plane gets filed as soon as we land, its almost empty. Our ETA is about forty-five minutes. Can you please get in contact with Jack and ask him to meet us at the base when we get back?'

'Roger that.'

'Thanks DJ. Mike Sierra Foxtrot, over and out." He hung the mic back up, then looked back at David, who had popped his head through into the cockpit. "It's not going to be as easy as that Tom. I know that man, and he's dangerous. He would be using the girl to do whatever he wanted, his own personal slave. He won't want to give her up without a fight, he'd be loosing too much."

"Your probably right there." David sighed, grabbing the spare apple that Tom had packed in his lunch. "I hope she's going to be alright though, if blood poisoning sets in, she could lose her leg, or worse."

"Do you think that's possible?" Kate asked as he returned to his seat. "I mean, her wound looks bad, but I think it's under control."

"It depends on other factors too Kate." Geoff joined the conversation. "From my observation, she's already not in great health. What was your thoughts of her condition David?"

David took a bite out of the apple before he replied. "She's severely malnourished, I could tell that when I picked her up, but your right. She's already so weak that the infection could quickly take over if she's not careful, but I think she knows what to do. If she's allowed to do it though, I think that's another matter entirely. I guess all we can do is hope she manages to get into town so we can check on her again. Other then that, and talking to Jack, I don't think there is much else we can really do for her right now. She really needs to be on an antibiotic drip though, I just wish she could be convinced to come with us to the hospital."

"She seemed pretty adamant against that, she doesn't want us to be in danger from her father." Kate grabbed her lunch out from under her seat, then handed Geoff his share. "She's a thoughtful one, I'll grant her that, but she seems to be strong as well, for a child her age that's been through so much. I saw the bruises on her arm, even though she tried to hide it. David, she's getting beaten by him. That's what she was trying to say without saying it. It's going to take a strain on her too.'

"I know Kate. I just hope she's strong enough to make it through with a wound like that, and her already weakened state won't help her any." David turned back to the window as he slowly ate the apple, absorbed in thought about the young girl they had just met, hoping that there was some way that they could help her…..

* * *

Josie wearily pulled her black stallion to a stop beside the slab hut stables and gave him a pat well done. She had ridden him hard and fast, trying to make up for the time she had been gone, but she could guess that by now her father would be awake and in a drunken stuber. Sighing with exhaustion, she pulled out the food that the nurse had given her and unwrapped it, finding a thick sandwich inside. Slowly she began to eat it, letting her stomach get used to the food that was different from her using meal of wallaby, kangaroo or goanna. She savoured every bite as she let Lightning drink from his water trough, then gave him another pat as she put the cloth the sandwich had been wrapped in back into the saddlebag. 'You did good today boy. Thank you. Sorry for running you so hard on the way back, but you enjoyed it, didn't you?'

Lightning closed his eyes slowly, relaxing as he felt her scratching the spot behind his ears, just where he liked it, the motion sending him to sleep.

Josie chuckled slightly as she felt the stallion under her go to sleep, then sighed with relief. It looked like to her that her father didn't know she had been gone and she was thankful for that, and for the doctor that had helped her with her leg. As she ran her hand across her sweaty forehead, she wished that she could have accepted their offer of looking after her in town, but as she thought about it, she knew she had done the right thing.

She sat there for a few minutes, then decided she might as well not procrastinate the inevitable punishment she knew her father would dish her, even though she had done nothing wrong. Gently she swung her bandaged leg over the back of the saddle and jumped down, the pain as she hit the ground almost sending her to her knees. She stood beside the horse for a few moments, catching her breath from the pain, then she untacked him and let him loose into his pen, placing the tack inside the stable where it would be out of the weather. She looked at the house from the door of the stable, then grabbed the crutches she had made and started the agonizing trip back to the shack.

When Josie got to the door, she placed the crutches against the outside wall and leaned against it, taking a break so that she could rest for a few minutes before she walked inside, her supplies for her leg hidden securely in the stable. After she had rested for long enough, she pulled the heavy door open, the smell of vomit and beer assaulting her nose. Try as she might, the smell was always too much, and she had to stop herself from gagging.

'Where the heck have you been?' Gill asked gruffly, sitting up from where he had been sleeping on the filthy couch, his hangover over and his temper taking its place. 'Well, answer me!'

Josie gulped as she leaned against the wall, letting her father yell. 'I had to go check my traps. That's all.'

'Well, did you get anything for my dinner?'

'No, I'm sorry. The traps were empty.' She looked at the ground, avoiding his angry bloodshot eyes. 'There wasn't anything at all out to hunt. I'm sorry.'

'Sorry isn't going to put food on the table!' He yelled as he stormed over to her, shoving her hard into the wall. 'You have to try harder, you useless excuse of a human.'

Josie finally snapped, her patience gone. 'I tried! There was nothing at all! If you weren't such a deaden out drunk, you could go and get you own dinner, but no, you sit here instead and drink yourself to hell, then boss me around and get me to do everything while you sleep off your hangovers. Well, no more, because I have had enough. You are nothing more than an old coot who wants to waste his life away on the bottle, but not me. I never asked for this life, and I'm through with it. No more cooking you dinner, no more doing what you ask. I'm done.'

'You'll do as I say or suffer the consequences!' He screamed at her as he flew into a rage, throwing her to the ground and began to hit her. 'You don't backchat me, you cad, and you can't tell me what I can and can't order you to do. I'm the boss here, and what I say goes. If you don't like it, there's more of where this came from.'

Josie tired to protect her face from his blows and get away from him, but he was sitting on top of her, pinning her down. 'And you wonder why Sara left!' She yelled, hoping to distract him enough that she could get away. 'She was the smart one, you couldn't control her like you do me, and it makes you angry, doesn't it? That she left for her boyfriend in Sydney. She was always the favorite, you would never have hit her.'

'Don't you ever mention her name again!' He landed one final blow hard into her chest, then stood up kicking her in the stomach across the dirty floor. 'That will teach you a lesson.' He gave her one more whopping kick, then stumbled out the door, slamming it so hard that the entire shack rattled loudly. He was swearing and cursing as he got into his ute and started the engine, furious that the girl had even tried to stand up to him.

Josie tried to move, crying out in pain as the door was slammed shut, then she heard the ute start and roar off towards town. She gasped as she tried to get her breath back from being kicked in the chest, and tried to sit up, but cried again as her ribs throbbed. She laid on the ground for a few minutes, tears flowing down her cheeks, then she rolled over onto her stomach yelping in pain as she dragged herself over to the table and pulled herself up till she was standing.

Leaning against the rickety table, she wiped the tears away, thankful that her father had left. She knew she need rest, her whole body was sore, but she could barely move enough to make it to her bedroom. Slowly one step at a time she forced herself forward till she was in her room, then she collapsed onto the bed, gasping from the pain. Urgently she pulled out a bottle of paragora from underneath her mattress and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls, detesting the horrible liquid, but knowing she needed to drink it if she was to get any relief. Putting it back into its hiding place, she flopped down on the flat pillow, wishing she had just kept her mouth shut. If she had, maybe he wouldn't have beaten her, but what was done was done…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

'I heard you wanted to speak to me.' Jack said as the doctors walked into the office at the base, drinking a cup of coffee DJ had given him. 'What seems to be the problem?'

David took a seat as Sam went with Tom to put the clinic supplies away, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl on the desk. 'We may have a case of child abuse on our hands, and we need your opinion.'

'Alright, I'm listening.'

'We met a girl today.' Geoff explained as he took a seat beside David. 'Her name is Josie Brown. She's roughly around fourteen years old.'

'Gill Brown's daughter?' Jack asked in disbelief, suddenly extremely interested. 'But I was under the impression that Sara took her with her when she moved to the city.'

'That's what everyone thought.' Kate joined in on the conversation, taking a seat at the round take beside Geoff. 'But it appears she didn't. Josie is severely injured, she impaled her leg on a star picket about four days ago. Its infected, and she really needs to be here in hospital, but she's worried about what her father would do.'

'It appears that he has been beating her too. When I was examining her, she had a few bruises on her as well, bruises that would only be caused by a beating.' David added. 'The child is terrified of him. She didn't want us to tell anyone, but she needs help, and soon. If she goes without proper treatment for much longer, she could lose her leg or worse. Is there anything that you know can do as a law officer?'

Jack rubbed his hand across his chin, weighing up the options. 'I can get in touch with a social worker from Sydney and fill her in on the situation, but she wouldn't be able to get here before next week. Would that be soon enough?'

David shook his head. 'Probably not. It's already touch and go. She was going to try and get in to see us on Wednesday, so we could check her leg again, if she could manage to get away.'

'I don't like her chances of that. I knew Gill before Sara left, and he was mean enough then, but I never found evidence enough to have the children taken from him. He would be quite concerned if Josie was to get away, about the things she would tell us that he won't let her get out of his sight, or he might just decide it's easier to get rid of her. As far as he knows, he thinks that no one knows that she's still with him.'

'So, what your saying is that he could possibly murder her?' Kate questioned, horrified at the thought. 'We have to get her away from him.'

'We can't just go barging in there Kate and say 'Hi, we're here to take your daughter.' It wont work like that. I know you're concerned about her, but that wouldn't work either.' Geoff gently made it blunt to her. 'We could put her in more danger then she already is in.'

'Geoffs right Kate. He would see us coming before we could get her. I went out to his place once, and he has the higher ground.' Jack replied, fiddling with his notebook as he jotted down what they had told him for future reference. 'No, the best idea is to wait and organise a plan. You already mentioned that she's going to try and get here wednesday, so if she does that will make it a lot easier.'

'And if she doesn't?' David asked, worried for the girls safety.

'We'll have to wait for backup. It's too dangerous to just go up there, he's capable of anything.' He story up, placing his notebook into his pocket. 'I'll go and make contacts with the social worker right now, explain the situation, and see what she suggests.'

'Alright, thanks for that Jack.' Geoff shook his hand, then the constable left. Geoff turned to his un official girlfriend, sensing she was upset. 'She'll be alright Kate. She'll make it here Wednesday.'

'I hope your right Geoff.' Kate sighed as she got up. 'I'm going to go for a walk, clear my mind.'

'Would you like company? Geoff has the hospital shift this afternoon. ' David asked as he stood up from his seat. 'I already have all my reports finished, and I'm off duty in half an hour anyway.'

Kate nodded, seemingly deep in thought. 'I'd appreciate that.' She gave Geoff a kiss on the cheek. 'I'll see you later.'

'Yes dear. And Kate.' He grabbed her hands before she went to leave. 'Please don't worry too much. It will all turn out in the end.'

'I know.' She made a small smile and chuckled. 'But you know me, I can't help it.'

'Yes I seem to remember that. Now go on. I have reports to finished before my hospital rounds.'

'Alright.' She gave him one last kiss, then followed David out the door. 'David, if Josie does get taken off her father, what do you think will happen to her?'

'I don't know Kate. I guess that they'll try and find her a home around here and if they can't find one, I'm guessing that she'll become a ward of the state.'

'We can't let that happen David.' Kate shaded her face from the sun as they walked down the road. 'She belongs here, where she at least knows us, not with a bunch of strangers in a new place.'

'I agree, but until we find out what's going to happen, we can't jump to conclusions. For now, let's just let Jack handle it, alright?'

'Alright.' She smiled at him as he placed his arm around her shoulders. 'Hey, you should take her. She seems to like you.'

'And be a father to a girl half my age?' He chuckled at the thought, then turned serious. 'No, she needs a family, someone that she can become a part of.' He heard a car roaring up behind them and pulled Kate back against him, falling onto the sidewalk getting them both out of the way as it sped past. 'That was close.'

Kate sat on the ground shaking as the car disappeared in a cloud of dust. 'Thank you David.'

'Are you alright?'

'I think so, no bones broken.' She tried to make light of it. 'Dam that man.'

David helped her get up, then held her steady as he guided her to a chair. 'You know him?'

'I wish I didn't.' She looked in the direction the car had gone. 'That David, was Josie's father.'

* * *

Josie groaned when she heard her father's car pull up outside, dreading the fact that he was back. She heard the car door slam, then his heavy boots on the verandah as he walked into the house. With another groan, she sat up, holding her head. She was so tired, and so sore, but she knew that she would only cop more of his wrath if she didn't get up and get something prepared for his dinner. Dragging herself off her bed, she ran into the wall, using it to help her stand up and made her way to the other room that doubled as the kitchen, living area and his bedroom. She whimpered in pain as she put weight on her injured leg, quickly changing to her other leg and hobbling over to the table as best she could.

"What the heck happened to you?" Gill growled as he watched her limping over to the table, making no inclination to help her. "Why haven't you gotten my dinner ready?" He raised his hand to hit her as he walked over to her. "You know what happens if its not ready when I want it."

Josie shrunk back away from him, but she was backed into a corner. There was no escape. "I'm sick for heaven's sake! Would you cut me some slack? I barely have the energy to move, let alone cook. Especially after the beating you gave me before you left. How do you expect me to do anything when I'm injured like this? I'll try and organize something for you to eat, but your going to have to help cook it for once. I can barely stay standing." She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness passed over her and she fell forward for a chair to sit down, holding her head until the blackness subsided, and she saw her father standing across from her. She thought he was going to hit her again, but instead he turned and walked over to the cupboard without a word.

Gill opened the cupboard door in a silent fury. He couldn't afford to lose his only slave, not after Sara took off eight years ago. Angrily he pulled out the sack of flour and flung it onto the table. "What else do you need?"

"Water, salt, baking powder." She replied as she poured the flour into a dirty bowl, sifting out the weevils with her fingers. "I'll put together some damper, you'll just have to heat up the salt meat." She closed her eyes again as a wave of nausea overtook her stomach, then she realised she was about to throw up. Getting up, she stumbled to the door, falling to her knees at the edge of the verandah and began to vomit, losing all the lunch the nurse had given her and the medicine she had taken too. When her stomach was empty, she felt even worse then she had felt before, vagily making out the form of her father standing in the doorway, like he was in a daze. She shook her head, trying to clear it so she could figure out what to do. Her father was hopeless when it came to helping her. "Can you help me up please?"

"Fine, but only this once. I'm not into pampering you like a spoilt child."

"So I've noticed." She mumbled under her breath as he helped her into the house, putting her onto the dirty couch. "I need some water. Can you get me some please?"

"Here." He handed her a cup of murky liquid. "You'll have to fetch water from the creek, that's all that's left in the barrel."

Josie looked at it, turning her nose up at the smell of the rancid water. "I'm not drinking that."

"Suit yourself." He threw the water onto the floor. "But until you get more, that's all there is."

"Don't you realize how sick I am?" She yelled, suddenly feeling so angry at his lack of compassion and feeling for her wellbeing. "I should be in hospital, and all your worried about is your dinner. You don't deserve to be a father, you have about as much a fatherly bone in your body as a king brown. Oh, wait a minute. You are king brown."

"You don't talk to me like that and get away with it, sick or not." He slapped her across the face, then turned away, walking to the door to get his belt. "And your not going to any hospital, you understand? We can't have them finding out about this."

"Haven't you realized yet that this could kill me?" She roared back, seeing him grab the belt. "If I die, then how would you get along, having to do everything yourself?"

Gill suddenly realized she was right. If she died, he wouldn't have a slave, but on the other hand, he wouldn't have to worry about her telling someone and getting him put in jail. He had already spent enough time in there for other crimes he had done, but managed to wiggle his way out murder charges, for the death of his sister, and a few other people no one knew about but he wasn't willing to go through it again. "Well, it would save me doing it. Can't have you squealing on me, can I?

Josie growled low in her throat, exasperated by his lack of concern, but then again it wasn't a surprise. "I guess you couldn't, could you? How about you stick that belt back where you got it from and cook your dinner. I'm going to try and get some rest, I should be feeling better by morning."

"Well, you better be, because I need those skins cured." He opened a swig of his beer and took a huge guzzle. "The money is getting a little low, and you know what I'm like if I don't get my drinks."

"I know what your like when you do." She mumbled, getting up and stumbling into her bedroom. She stood in the doorway as her father turned back to his bottles and she shook her head. Honestly, she wished she had been on the plane to Cooper's Crossing, and away from him, but here she was, stuck in the shack with no way of getting out. She closed the door on him, then hobbled back over to her bed, falling onto it in exhaustion. Lying there, staring at the roof, she began to formulate a plan…

* * *

Geoff, Kate and David were sitting in the pub later that night having dinner together, discussing the events of the day when Jack entered, walking in like he was on a mission.

"There's a spot here for you Jack." David waved, then motioned to the empty chair beside him. "Chris was meant to join us, but she got stuck with a patient at the hospital."

"Thanks David, I don't mind if I do." He sat down, then waved for Vic. "I'll take an orange juice thanks Vic. I'm on duty tonight."

"One orange juice, coming up." Vic poured him a cup, then walked over. "Did you hear about what happened this afternoon? David and Kate almost got run over by that lunatic Gill Brown. It was only David's quick thinking that got them out of the way just in time."

Jack raised his eyebrows, then looked at Kate and David. "What happened?"

"We were having a walk in the street, and I heard a car behind us." David replied, sipping his drink. "He was obviously drunk, he was all over the road."

Kate began to cut up her steak, listening to the conversation. "David knocked me onto the footpath before the car would have hit us, but that man definitely wasn't concerned that we were already crossing the street."

"I'm just grateful that David was quick to react." Geoff added, eating his mashed potato. "At the speed he was going he would have killed them both. I saw it all from the base's window. Something needs to be done about that man, he's a danger to the town. If there was kids in the street he would have hit them too."

"Don't worry, something will be done." He didn't want to mention about the girl while Vic was around, and decided the best way to get rid of him for a bit was to order something. "I'll take some bangers and mash to go Vic. I've got night patrol tonight, so if you could whip it together quickly I'd appreciate it."

"Alright Constable, and since your on duty, it's' on the house."

"Thanks." Jack waited till he had left the table, then motioned for the others to come closer so that he didn't need to shout the information he had to tell them. "I got some more information back on Gill Brown. Turns out that that's not even his real name. He's been in disguise for the last twenty years."

"Who is he then?" Geoff asked, grabbing a napkin. "What did you find out?"

"I'm getting to that Geoff, patience mate, patience." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "His name is Charlie Moxon from Darwin. He's been on the run for the last twenty years, after he escaped from Sydney jail with the help of a couple mates."

David looked at the notice, a bit concerned about what they had just been told. "What's he wanted for?"

"Among other things, murder." Jack saw the looks on their faces, knowing they were all concerned for Josie's welfare. "He has charges for killing his sister to get his parents inheritance, and charges for domestic violence too. I know I should have put two and two together earlier, but I didn't realize that was who he was until today. The man's dangerous David. He won't stop at anything to avoid jail and he has a terrible temper. While he was in Sydney, they had to confine him by himself for the safety of the other inmates because he would fly into rages and beat up the others."

"And that's the man Josie's father is." Kate shook her head in amazement. "That poor girl. Is there anyway at all that we can help her?"

"I have made contacts with the department that handles these types of cases, but for the moment, no. It would be more dangerous to go and try to rescue her and risk her father killing her before we get there then to do nothing. He doesn't know that we know she exists, and we need to keep it like that until I get word back." He looked around the group closely. "So that means that no one except us is to know she is even alive out there. If he finds out we know, Josie is done for, as much as I hate to admit it. We can't risk it, her safety comes first."

"And if she manages to get here on Wednesday, what do we do next?" Geoff questioned as he finished off his meal, taking a drink of beer from his glass. "What if he comes after her?"

"That's when you let me handle it." He heard Vic coming back with his order and decided to make what he had to say next as quick as possible. "If she gets here, she can't be alone for even a minute. Someone will need to stay with her, and we'll keep a close eye out for him. If she does come, then we'll need the town to be watching for him as well. He can't take on all of us."

"One bangers and mash." Vic placed the container on the table in front of the cop. "Just as you like."

"Thanks Vic." Jack stood up, drinking the last sip in his cup. "Well, I'm off for my rounds. Night all."

"Night Jack." Vic called after him, then turned back to the table. "Anything else I can get you?"

David and Geoff both shook their heads, then looked at Kate, who seemed deep in thought. "Kate?"

Kate was startled by Vic's voice. "Sorry Vic. What did you say?"

"I asked if there is anything else i can get you."

"Just a water please Vic, I've got the night watch at the hospital."

"Aright. Won't be long." He walked back to the counter and poured her a glass, then returned. "Here you go." he heard Nancy calling him from the kitchen. "I better go help her before she yells the place down. If i don't see you before you leave, night all."

Kate stared at the glass on the table, not even noticing when Vic left and went into the kitchen. She was deep in thought about the girl, remembering the helpless look in the girls eyes when they had been examining her.

Geoff noticed how quiet Kate was and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright Kate?"

"I'm okay." She jumped slightly as he interrupted her thoughts. "I'm just worried about Josie. What if something happens to her before we can help?"

"We're both concerned about her Kate, but at the moment there is nothing we can do." David gently exclaimed. "Worrying yourself sick isn't going to help either."

"No, your right." She looked at the clock, seeing that it was almost time for her shift. "I've got to get to my shift, I'll see you two later."

"Alright, I'll come and check on you on my way home." Geoff stood up and gave her a hug before she left. "Try to get some rest, your almost worn out."

"Don't worry, I'll just do my rounds and then I'll catch a few winks." Kate assured. "Night David."

"Night Kate." David stacked up the dirty plates as she left, then looked at Geoff. "I have a feeling that this is far from over. I just hope that Josie and none of us get hurt."

Geoff glanced at him, Davids fears reflected in his own eyes. "I hope so too."

* * *

Josie was awoken the next morning to a loud crash in the other room and quickly sat up, suddenly realizing that it wasn't such a good idea as a pain shot across her chest. Gritting her teeth, she made herself get up and walked out of her room, seeing the huge mess that the falling cupboard had made on the floor. She could smell the alcohol in the air, detesting the fact that her father was a drunk and looked for the reason why the cupboard had fallen. As she stepped over the drunken man on the floor, she could see that the front legs had given way, and that was why it was on the floor. She groaned inwardly, then decided not to bother cleaning it up. No matter how much she tried, the shack was always a filthy mess. Hobbling outside, she leant against a verandah post, the cool breeze feeling good on her hot body. She put her hand on her forehead, feeling how hot it was and knowing that it was a fever, but there wasn't much she could really do about it.

Sighing as she looked at the already risen sun, she figured out that it had to be nearly lunchtime and she was really thirsty, dehydrated from the fever. Going over to the water barrel next to the door, she saw that it was bone dry and knew the only way she was getting water was to go down to the creek and get it herself. Grabbing the two buckets and the yoke, she struggled over to Lightning's paddock and called the stallion over, clipping his lead rope onto his halter. "We have a water trip to make boy. Come on."

Slowly they made their way down the track to the creek, Josie walking alongside the stallion as best she could, holding the yoke in place. When they got to the creek, she pulled the buckets off and turned the horse lose to graze, while she filled them up. Placing the full buckets onto the creek bank, she sat down on a boulder next to the water and pulled off her boots, putting her feet in the creek to cool herself down. As she felt the cold water rushing over her toes, she gave a sigh of relief, enjoying the coolness, then she turned to her wound. Pulling up her trouser leg, she could see that the wound had wept and bled all the way through the dressing and bandages, dried and crackling when she tried to bandage it to wash out the wound. She gave up as she realized it was hopeless to try and take it off there, she would have to do it up at the stable where she could sit and wash it out properly. Not bothering to put her boots back on, she grabbed them as she stood up and walked back to the buckets. "Come on Lightning. Time to go."

Lightning heard his name called and looked up from the lush green grass he had found at the base of a big pine tree, then trotted over to her, nudging her with his muzzle as she put the yoke onto his back. He snorted as he felt the weight, then relaxed as she scratched his ears and clipped his leadrope onto his halter, preparing to leave.

Josie looked around for something she could use to stand on to climb up onto Lightning's back and led him over to an old stump, maneuvering him into position. "Easy boy, just stand there. We can go in a moment." She got onto the stump, then pulled herself onto his back with her arms, swinging her injured leg over to the other side. Resting there for a moment from the exhaustion, she placed her handkerchief in the bucket for cleaning and wet it, then tied it around her head to cool her down. Holding the yoke steady with one hand, she picked up his leadrope with the other, nudging him into a walk with her good leg. "Home Lightning, and slowly. We don't want to spill the water."

The stallion shook his head, feeling the weight on his back as he walked back up the hill towards the stable, placing each hoof down carefully so that he didn't slip. He wanted to gallop, but his master was keeping him to a steady walk, stroking his neck from time to time, guiding him with his leadrope. He snorted again as they walked under some low trees, hating the feeling of confinement, but he felt her soothing hand on his withers and he calmed down.

Josie pulled him to a stop as they got to the house, then she slid off and unloaded the two buckets, leaving the drinking water one beside the barrel. Grabbing his lead rope, the other bucket in hand, she led him back to his pasture and turned him loose, then walked into the stable. Taking a seat on the overturned box, she began to pour water onto the bandages, wetting them so that she could take them off. Working slowly, she began to unwrap the wound as carefully as she could, pouring more water on it when it began to get harder to remove. It took her a good quarter hour until they were off, and she was left with the angry red swollen wound on her leg to clean. As she began to gently wipe away the pus and dried blood, she could see that the infection was spreading, the wound larger than it had been the day before, now bigger than her fist. She poured some water into it, hoping that it would help to flush it out, then pulled the package she had been given out from under Lightning's oat bag.

Wincing from the pain, she put the ointment she had been given on the wound, then placed the dressing on it and began to rebandage it tightly, so that it would be held in place. After she had finished, she leaned back against the stable wall, knowing that the wound needing more attention then she could give it. Glancing around, she could judge by the position of the sun that it was almost three in the afternoon, the trip to the creek taking an hour each way. She knew she needed to get to town, but by now her father would have definitely woken and she would have to wait till he was sleeping again to attempt running away, and in her current condition, it would prove difficult to do.

Silently she sat there, using her breathing to help ease the throbbing her leg and ribs were giving her, thinking up a plan. It was too late today to try and run, her chance was gone. She rubbed the sweat off her forehead, then groaned as she heard her father yelling for her. "I'm in here!"

"Well, get your butt in here girl." He yelled from the verandah, angry that the skins hadn't been cured. "I want a word with you."

Josie knew what the "word" was going to mean, and knew if she didn't hurry up, it would make him mader. Throwing the bloody bandages under the box, she got up and hobbled out of the stable. "Yes, I'm coming."

'Gill' grabbed the girl and pushed her onto the stump on the verandah, wavering unsteadily from the hangover he was still experiencing. "Where have you been? Why haven't the skins been done?"

"I went to the creek to get water.' She explained, pointing to the bucket. "And I'm really not feeling well."

"Not feeling well. Ba humbug." He shoved the kangaroo skin she had to cure into her hands. "I don't like your laziness. Now get to it."

"But I'm really not feeling well." She insisted, starting to get desperate. "I need rest. Please, you have to believe me."

Gill pulled off his belt and snapped in front of her face. "Now, either you get started on the skins, or cop the belt. Which is it?"

Josie looked between the skins and his belt, her vision going blurry, but she knew if she didn't do the skins he would beat her again, thinking she was just being lazy and making excuses. "Alright, I'll do them."

"Good." He snapped the belt in front of her face again. "I knew you were just lying about feeling sick. Your nothing but a lazy so-and-so. Well, I'll work it out of you, and you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." She grabbed the knife to scrape the fur off the skin, then her vision began to blur again and her hearing was going funny, like she was underwater. "I'm really not-' She didn't get to finish the sentence as she fell onto the ground, unconscious. Fainted from the fever and infection.

"Get up you mongrel." He snarled as he kicked her in the stomach hard, but the girl didnt move. "Stop playing games with me! Now get up." He kicked her again, rolling her onto her back, the girl head flopping around unsteadily. "Well, lie there if you want. See if I care." He walked back into the shack, slamming the door behind him, not realizing that the girl was actually in a very bad way….

* * *

David, Kate and Chris were on their way to Cargollie Station the next day for a clinic run when a call came over the radio for them.

"Victor Charlie Charlie calling Mike Sierra Foxtrot, do you read me? Over."

Sam picked up the mic, the noise waking up Kate who had been sleeping next to him. "This is Mike Sierra Foxtrot reading you loud and clear. What's the matter DJ?"

"I just had a call from Jack, rather a weird one. Let me just get the message he wanted me to get through to you." He grabbed out the notebook he had on his desk and opened it to the page he had written the message on. "He said that if all goes to plan, help will be here in about two days. Does that mean anything important? He seemed to be in quite a hurry for me to tell you guys."

"It is important, thanks DJ. We'll fill you in later on what it means." He looked at Kate, seeing that she was making motions of wanting the mic. "Just hold on a moment DJ, Kate wants a word."

"DJ, did Jack mention anything else when he called?"

"No Kate, just that, and he said he wants to see you when you finish your rounds. Where are you anyway? He wanted me to call him back with an estimated time frame of your arrival."

"We're just coming up on the station now DJ. Depending on how many cases we have we should be back in about five hours. Over."

"Alright, thanks Kate." DJ wrote it down quickly, then pressed the button on the radio again to talk. "I'll let him know. This is Victor Charlie Charlie over and out."

"What was that about?" David asked as he stuck his head in the cockpit, seeing Kate hanging up the mic.

"Jack just wanted us to know that help for Josie will be here in about two days. I just hope that soon enough." She yawned, then undid her seatbelt. "Here, you'll be of more use in landing then I will be. I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Obviously." He gently patted her on the back as they traded places, getting ready to help Sam land the plane. "You know worrying about it isn't going to do you any good."

"I know. That's what Geoff said."

"Then you should listen to him Kate." Chris looked up from her book, seeing how tired she was. "You really should have taken the day off Kate. Look at you. You look like a dog with a hangover."

Kate rolled her eyes at Chris's teasing. "Thanks Chris. I know. I'll feel a lot better when she's away from that man. You should have seen her yesterday, then you would understand. There was something in her eyes that I could see. I think it was fear, like she was really scared of coming to us, and I could see in her eyes the emotional pain that she feels. She's terrified. I could hear it in her voice, and she's so weak and fragile."

"Fragile like a bomb, not a daisy." David added as they landed the plane, then turned off the engines. "She's got courage Kate, she'll get through it. Heck, she's had to live with him for eight years."

"And hating him for every single one." She handed Chris her bag, then gathered the rest of the supplies as they disembarked the plane. "You sure you don't want to come with us Sam?"

"I'm sure. I've got a bunch of reading to catch up on. Have fun guys." He placed his feet up on the other seat. "I'll be thinking of you while I enjoy the peace and quiet."

David chuckled as he followed the two women off the plane. "At least you get peace and quiet. I have to work with these two."

"Very funny David." Chris playfully hit him on the shoulder as their ride pulled up. 'Hello, I don't think we've met before. I'm Dr. Randell and these are Dr. Radcliff and Sister Wellings.'

'Morning guys, I'm Glen Rutherford. I brought the station a couple months back off the old man who used to own it.' Glen rolled his window down to talk to them. 'I'd offer the passenger seat, but ol bluey here has claimed it as his.'

David laughed as he looked at the sleeping blue cattle dog. 'Oh well, I guess that we'll all be stuck on the back. Come on, we might as well get this show on the road, we have a busy day ahead.' He helped the girls get in the back, then jumped on with them. 'All ready back here.'

'Right, let's go.' He put the ute into gear, then turned around and headed back to the station house where people were already gathering from stations around. 'Alright, you can set up shop over there.' He pointed to the verandah. 'But before you do that, I have a quick question. You guys were out Brett Robinsons way yesterday weren't you?'

'Yes, we held a clinic there.' David grabbed the last of the supplies as they walked to the house. 'Any particular reason why?'

'Maybe. While you were there did you happen to see a girl about fourteen years old, with brown hair and eyes? Tall, skinny girl, rides a black horse. Names Josie.'

Kate quickly glanced at David, Davids returning look telling her to hurry up and answer with something other then the truth. 'No, can't say we did. Is she in trouble or something?'

'Oh, no, it's nothing like that.' He assured adamantly as he helped them with the tables. 'She comes here occasionally to help with the mustering and other odd jobs around the place. She's a good little worker, but she didn't show up last week, and I'm a little concerned. I know she lives out that way, but that's all I know. Just thought you might have seen her.'

'Well, we didn't see her, but we'll keep an eye out for her.' David assured as the first of the patients began to line up. 'I'll let you know if we find anything.'

'Id appreciate that.' He handed him the bag he had been carrying for them. 'I'll let you get to work.'

After he left, Kate walked over to David, making sure that no one else was in hearing range. 'What do you make of that?'

'I don't know.' He watched as Glen welcomed the people to his station, something just not feeling right. 'But I intend to find out.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Hi readers! I wasnt planning on uploading this chapter so soon, but a certain friend of mine *nudges SageBrushMustang* has been dying to read it! So, thanks to her constant bugging, here it is! Oh, and please, excuse my couple of spelling mistakes, my spell check has gone on sabbatical**

* * *

Josie was finally teased out back to reality late that night, the wind blowing gently on her face. With a moan, she opened her eyes, seeing that it was all black. _Where am I?_ She could feel a hard floor underneath her, and saw the rafters of the veranda above her, figuring out she was lying outside the door of the shack. Yelping and wincing in pain as she rolled over and sat up, she could feel the pain in her chest and leg getting worse. She rubbed her hand on her sweaty forehead, feeling how hot she was, then rubbed her head in confusion. What was she doing here, lying on the wood? How had she gotten here? How long had she been here? Questions raced through her mind as she struggled to gather her bearings, then her hand rested on the unfinished kangaroo skin and it all came back to her. The argument, the belt, hitting the floor, all rolling through her mind like a cinematic tv screen.

Carefully as possible, she struggled to her feet, leaning against the door to keep her upright. Inside the house she could hear her father throwing bottles around and cussing, but she wanted to get to bed. She tried to open the door, but found that she couldn't. It had been locked. Deciding not to get him angry, she dragged herself to the window opening into her bedroom and pulled herself through, falling onto the floor with a crash. Startled and shocked from the pain, she laid there for a few moments, then heard the dreaded footsteps getting closer.

"What do you think your doing barging in here?" He swore as he walked around the bed, seeing her on the floor. "Get up, you lazy mutt."

"I can't" She gasped, trying to get up and away from him so that he wouldn't kick her again. "I'm not faking this. I am really sick and I need to get to hospital."

"You ain't going to no hospital." He snarled as he watched her fruitless efforts to get to her feet. "I don't want to hear that again. Your not leaving this place, or I'll kill you. Is that understood?"

"Yes." She moaned as she closed her eyes, hoping that by saying what he wanted to hear, he would leave her alone in peace.

"Good."

Josie sighed with relief as he walked out of her room, slamming the door shut behind him and she could hear that he had gotten into his whisky again, the sound of shattering beer bottles startling her as they broke against the floor. Shaking her head trying to pull herself together, she struggled to get up again, but she knew she was too exhausted, too weak. She laid there on the floor, the window still open from where she had crawled in and tears began to roll down her cheeks. She was in so much pain, and he didn't even care, but she knew that lying on the floor all night wasn't going to do her any good. Rolling onto her stomach, she dug her fingers into the rough sawn floorboards and dragged her body across the floor to her bed, gritting her teeth as she felt splinters going into her flesh. Finally she reached her bed, grasping the bedhead with both hands and pulled herself up onto it.

Lying in the cool breeze, which felt good on her feverish body, she willed herself to stay awake. She needed to formulate a plan. A plan to get her away and to people that would help her. A few hours after midnight, the crashing and swearing ceased, and she knew that her father was either asleep or passed out. At least all was quiet now, with the exception of the wind gently ruffling her torn curtains. Tomorrow, she would try and get away, maybe getting killed in the process, but she knew that if she didn't at least try, she would certainly die from the infection. It was worth the risk, even with the possible consequences…

* * *

Kate walked into the office late the next day, well rested from a good night's sleep. "Morning DJ."

"Morning Kate." DJ replied, not looking up from the radio. "Geoff's over at the hospital if you are looking for him."

"Thanks, but I'm not here for Geoff." She sat down on the table that the radio was on. "David and Tom told you about what happened the other day yet?"

"Yes, they did." He heard another call coming in. "Just wait a tick Kate. Victor Charlie Charlie receiving you. Over."

"DJ, this is Jack here." The constable held down the talk button, surveying the sight in front of him. "There's been an accident on the highway south of Barabadine. Cattle truck had a head on with a car. The car is full, I think two are dead and the truck driver's alive, but not responding. Over."

"Alright Jack, we'll send out the plane. Where exactly are you?"

"About thirty miles past Cooper's Crossing, the Barabadine road."

"Is there anywhere for a plane to land?"

"Yes." Jack looked around, glad that for once there was no trees in sight. "There's a vacant paddock next to the road. Its clear and flat."

"Good." DJ looked at the clock, figuring out how long it would take for the plane to get there. "The plane should arrive in about an hour. Standby for updates."

"Will do. Over and-"

"Just wait a tick Jack." Kate grabbed the mic off DJ. "How bad are they?"

"Pretty bad Kate, two have what looks like head injuries, and one is pinned underneath the vehicles."

"Okay. Just try and keep them comfortable and as calm as possible if they wake up." She looked up as David and Tom walked in. "We are on our way. Keep in touch."

"Will do. Over and out."

"What's happened?" Tom asked as he stopped beside the table. "I grabbed the last half of the conversation."

"Accident on the Barabadine Road, about thirty miles out. Cattle truck and car head on. Jack's there now, but we need to hurry."

"Right." David grabbed the bags that they kept ready for emergencies. "DJ, call Sam on the radio, he's out at the strip doing maintenance on his helicopter. Let him know we are on his way and to get the plane ready."

"Already on it." DJ changed channels on the radio. "Victor Charlie Charlie calling Mike Sierra Foxtrot…."

* * *

Josie woke up with a start the next morning, wondering how on earth she had fallen asleep, then remembered the night before. Groaning as she tried to sit up, she reached for the bottle of painkillers under her bed and swallowed a couple big mouthfuls, the pain finally getting the better of her, causing her to cry. Sobbing, she did up the lid on the bottle and put it back into its hiding place, trying to ignore it, but it was to much. Gritting her teeth, she tried to breath through it, waiting for the painkillers to kick in.

After a few minutes, she began to relax, the pain starting to subside. Looking out the window, she could see that the sun was already up, then she heard her father stirring in the other room. Sighing, she knew that she was going to be in for another hard day, especially as he was already awake and she sat up, shaking from the fever and dehydration. She licked her parched lips, thinking how good a glass of water would be and she gingerly stood up. The paragora had begun to mask the pain, and she hobbled over to the door with more ease then the day before. As she went to enter the room, she began to feel dizzy and had to stop. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the door to help stop the dizziness, but knocked over a box as she quickly sat down. 'Sorry.'

'Can't you be more careful?' Gill snapped as he looked at her from behind his newspaper, suddenly seeing the way she was shaking and flushed. 'You don't look so good.'

'Oh hallelujah. Took you long enough to figure that one out.' She took hold of the door post and pulled herself up till she was standing again. 'Now, do you believe me or do you still think I'm making it up?'

'Making it up or not, you're not leaving this glade. I'm keeping my eye on you. Can't have you running off now, can I? People might think im not taking good care of you.'

'And your not.' She finally snapped as she yelled back at him, anger welling up inside her. 'Because you care more about your stupid booze then you ever have about me. All you care about is where your next drink is going to come from, even if it means I have to slave my guts out at that miserable station your _mate_ owns, just so you can get a couple of bottles of grog. Well, won't you be happy when I cark it. No more worrying about me telling someone. Is that it? People will come looking, you know. People like Sara, the police when she finds out I'm no longer here.' She could see she had hit a soft spot as her father stormed over to her, raising his fist. 'Go on. Get it over with. I'm dying anyway, because you're too pig headed to want to get me help. Go on, this is what you want, isn't it? Me out of your hair, finally your secret safe? Secrets like Bethany's 'mysterious' disappearance? When I'm gone, I hope you'll be kind enough to think of me from time to time when you have to pick up your own empty beer cans and wash your own dirty laundry. In a way, me dying would be a sweet revenge for me. You'd have to do everything I've ever done for you yourself, and I won't have a clue.'

Gill felt his face going red as she roared at him, for once realizing what he had done in his drunken stupor, but it was too late to change anything. Slowly he put his arm down, abashed that she had actually stood up to him, and showed no fear when he tried to intimidate her. Seeing fear in her eyes was one thing he enjoyed, the feeling of being in power, but once when there was fear was now replaced with courage and determination. He slowly backed away from her, scared at what he saw in her eyes, then he fled out of the shack without a word, leaving the door wide open.

Josie watched him leave in amazement. She had actually managed to scare him off and not get hit for her trouble. Glancing around the now still and quiet room, she saw the broken glass shards all over the floor. Rubbing her chest, the big bruises she had gotten when he had kicked her starting to swell again, she realized she had left her shoes out in the stable. She couldn't risk walking in there without her shoes on. She would get glass shards all in her feet. Turning around, she made her way back to the window and climbed out again, this time a bit more carefully so she did not injure her leg. Grabbing the dipper off the side of the barrel, she filled it with water from the bucket and guzzled it down, then drank another and another, wondering if she would ever quench her thirst.

After she had drunk her fill, she looked around for some sign of her father, but all was clear. Cautiously she sat down on the chair next to the barrel, wondering what game he was playing at, watching the snowy white clouds floating by and arguing with herself about trying to make a run for it. Little by little, her eyes began to close, and she tried to stay away but the urge to sleep was so strong that finally she couldn't resist it any longer. Lying down in the breeze on the floor of the verandah, she slowly was dead to the world, absorbed in a place only sleep would take her.

Slowly the hours ticked by until it was late in the afternoon, the sound of a door slamming jolting her awake. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes then looked around for what had made the noise. The door to the shack was now closed, but she couldn't hear her father anywhere. That must mean he was still gone. Standing up, she quelled the urge to scream in pain as she felt to bandage tear off the dried pus on the wound, then she saw fresh blood oozing down her leg. She groaned as it began to form a small puddle on the wood, then tried to push it to the back of her mind as she looked around. Her father was nowhere in sight. She could take the chance to run!

Quickly hobbling over to the paddock Lightning was kept in, she gently called him over, trying not to make any noise. She knew that her chances of getting away were slim, and it was either escape or slow painful death from the infection, and she wasn't ready to die. In a moment she made up her mind, knowing that this was a terrible risk, but one she had to take. She had to get help regardless of the consequences. She saw Lightning about to neigh, and quickly hushed him with a hand on his muzzle. 'Sssh boy. This is our only chance. We can't get caught. I'm going to die if I don't get help, and I need your help to prevent that.' She cliped his leadrope onto his halter, then opened the gate and led him out. 'We have to make it to the hospital boy, we have to.'

'Going somewhere?' Gill asked, walking out of the stable with his rifle. He had heard the entire conversation from where he had been hidden, drinking in the stable. 'I thought you might try a trick like this, since I found this.' He head up the bandage wrapper with the RFDS logo on it, enjoying the look on the girls face as she recognized it. 'You know, the fear in your eyes makes you look really pretty, but you know I can't let you leave. You've obviously told someone something, your dumb to think that you could ever get away from me.' He chuckled ghastly as he raised the rifle. 'I'm going to enjoy the look on your face when I kill your horse right in front of your eyes.'

Josie stood as if a trance as he raises his gun, then she sprung into action. 'Go Lightning, go. Go get help!' She slapped him as hard as she could, dropping the lead rope so that the horse could bolt. 'Find someone!'

'Dam blast you!' Gill yelled as the stallion took off, then he pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed over the horses back, just missing him and he fired again and again, getting the range but only just nicking him with each shot till the horse was out of sight. 'Dang blast it!' He threw the emptied rifle on the ground, then turned to the girl in fury. 'And you.'

Josie yelped as he yanked her arm, surprisingly strong for a man who was more drunk then sober and she tired to get away, but he was too strong. Half dragged, half kicked, he threw her into her bedroom, caring nothing that he had left a trail of her blood on the ground. She gasped as she hit the floor, hearing him locking the door behind her, terrified as to what he might do next. She had to get out. She had to hide till Lightning got back with help. At least someone would come, but would it be in time?

She looked at the window with dogged determination. It was the only way out, and she had to get out. It was her last chance. Who knew what he would do when he returned? Dragging herself over to the window inch by inch, her goal was getting closer and closer, then she heard the front door again and cried in exasperation. She couldn't make it. She tried to block out the noise of him coming into her room, but the unclicking lock resounded like a cannon. It was her death sentence. There was no way of escape.

Gill looked around the room, a puddle of blood on the floor where he had flung the girl, and a trail leading around to the otherside of the bed. He saw the window and put two and two together. 'Not this time, my dear. You can't escape the inevitable, and you only brought it on yourself by getting help from the flying doctors.'

'But killing me isn't the answer.' She cried out, hoping there was a way to get out of the situation she was in. 'They already know. They will come looking for me. Lightning has gone to get them. They know where I live. Why don't you just leave me here and make a run for it? You wouldn't have another murder on your hands then.'

'Leave you alive to get them out onto my tail. I don't think so.' He scoffed, then threw down the coil of barbed wire he was holding in his hand. 'I can't kill you, not here, not now, but this will keep you here till I've taken care of 'Lightning' He won't be so fast when I catch up to him.' He yanked her hands together, then began to wrap the barbed wire around them tightly, the barbs drawing blood. 'You should have kept your mouth shut and not tried to run. You have no one to blame but yourself. And don't rely on Lightning to get you help. He'll never make it back.'

'Never underestimate what he can do.' She struggled to keep her voice steady as he began to wrap her legs in the barbed wire, tied up as tightly as an Egyptian mummy. 'He's got more sense than you ever had.'

'I've had enough of listening to you.' He growled, grabbing out a cloth from in his pocket. 'Can't have you calling out now can I if by some miracle your stallion does manage to get help. You better hope for their sake that he doesn't get them. I can get pretty mean if I don't get what I want.' He stood up as he finished gagging her. 'You hang tight there. I'll be back as soon as I have that stallion gotten rid of.'

Tears slipped down Josie's cheeks as she heard him loading the gun in the other room, then speeding off in his ute after the horse. _What have I done? I'm going to get Lightning and the doctors possibly killed over me. I have to do something._ She thought, realizing the danger she had thrown them into. She got them in it, she had to get them out of it. Struggling to move, she realised it was hopeless as the barbs dug into her flesh, feeling the blood dripping down her arms and legs. What she needed was a miracle, and quickly.

* * *

David was driving the girls back from the airport later that afternoon, the two girls asleep in the backseat, exhausted from looking after five severely injured patients. Jack had been right, two had been killed in the accident, but the others had already been admitted into hospital where the team were working on them. He looked in the revision mirror and smiled as he saw the two sleeping women. 'They're enjoying their nap.'

'Yeh, I can see that.' Sam whispered back, taking a quick look back. 'You did too, in the plane.'

'Oh, so you noticed?'

'Couldn't help it. You were snoring as loud as a freight train.' He teased as they turned the corner into main street. 'I'm the only one who hasn't had a nap.'

'For that I am thankful. A sleeping pilot is worse than none.'

Sam looked confused. 'How's that?'

'If you have no pilot, how can you fly?' He chuckled at his own little joke, then saw how late it was getting. 'Why is it we always manage to get the all day callouts?'

'Unlucky I guess.' He saw something out of the corner of his eye, and it was big. 'David, stop!'

David slammed the breaks on, the car skidding to a stop as it hit the black form, knocking it over. 'Where did that come from?'

'What happened?' Chris asked, her and Kate woken from their sleep. 'What did we hit?'

'Something big. It's a wonder it didn't go through the windscreen.' Sam replied, a bit shaken. 'It just ran out in front of us. Are you two alright?'

'We're fine.' Kate replied as the thing they had hit stood up. She recognized it immediately. _Lightning._ Quickly she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car, grabbing the lead rope that was flapping around the horses legs before he could bolt off and cause more damage. 'Easy, easy boy. Woah, steady.' She turned back to the car as the stallion began to calm down. 'Its Josie's horse.'

'What's he doing in the middle of town?' David wondered as he got out of the car, the others following him. 'And where is Josie? She would have tied him up if she had come to the base.'

Chris slowly walked up to the stallion, seeing a couple wounds on his back. 'I don't think Josie made it to town. Look.' She pointed to his rump. 'He's been shot at, the bullets just grazing him.'

Kate looked at David, worry written on her face as the towns people began to come out and watch what was happening. 'What do we do now? Josie could be out there anywhere, we have to find her.'

'Well, he could lead us to her.' Sam replied as he finished checking the horse over for injuries due to the car hitting him. 'The horse is fine, probably just a bit dazed, but I don't think he's smart enough to comprehend taking us to her.'

'I wouldn't be so sure of that.' Jack interrupted as he walked over to them. 'Horses are smarter than you think. What happened here anyway?'

'He just bolted out in front of us.' David explained, looking back at the car. 'I slammed the brakes on and only just knocked him over. I don't think the car is damaged though.'

'You're all very lucky, it could have been a lot worse.' He looked around at the horse, wondering where he came from and seeing the bullet wounds. 'Who owns this horse anyway?'

'Its Josie's horse.' Kate replied, calming the horse down as it began to get nervous again. 'She was going to try and come into town today for us to check her wound, but she must have come off. What do we do-'

Jack cut her off, taking control of the situation. 'We're going to go find her.' He looked up at the sun, conjuring up a plan. 'Sam, how soon can you get up in the air?'

'Half an hour at least. They're fueling the plane now.' Sam replied, knowing every minute counted. 'We flew over their house yesterday, there is nowhere to land except at the nearest station.'

'Alright.' He pulled a map of the town and surrounding areas and placed it on the bonnet of his car, the towns people dispersing as they saw he had it all handled. 'Going by road, it will take an hour and a half to get anywhere near them, but going across country and on a fast horse, someone could get there in around forty five minutes and start searching. If your right about her condition, she wouldn't have gotten far, and I'm guessing that the bullet wounds on the horse might have had something to do with it.'

'Do you think he might have killed her?' David asked, concerned for her safety. 'The wounds on Lightning suggest she was running away.'

'Let's pray not.' He rolled up the map, thinking about the information he had been told about the man. 'More than likely, he only wounded her, and he's probably looking for the horse now. He'd be concerned about a horse with bullet wounds running free and alerting someone, so my guess is, based on what I've been told and what he's done before is that he's hidden her somewhere to finish her off later. It's a long shot, but it's our only option.'

'We have to find her before he gets back to where he's hidden her, if that's the case.' Chris agreed. 'And we need to get there quickly. Who can ride a horse?'

'I'll go.' Kate offered, unsnapping the lead rope from the horse's chin and reattaching it to the ring on the side, then tied the rope through the other ring, making a makeshift bridle. 'I'm the best bet you have.'

'Are you sure Kate?' Sam hesitated about her going, possibly straight into the path of the psycho man. 'Geoff is going to be mad when he finds out you've taken off alone, and if I remember correctly, the last time you rode bareback you fell off and nearly broke your arm.'

'Correction, I was bucked off. I'll be fine Sam.' She replied, vaulting onto the horse, holding him at a standstill even though he clearly was ready to gallop, shaking his head and pawing the ground. 'Just grab me my bag and bring backup.'

'Okay, if your sure.' Jack releanted cautiously, but they all knew they had no other choice. The quicker they could get someone there and searching, the quicker they would find the girl and this was the fastest way. 'Take this with you, hopefully you won't have to use it, but it's best to play it safe.' He handed her his spare pistol, then patted her knee. 'Please be careful.'

'Don't worry, I will be.' She took the pistol, then put it in her bag as Chris handed it to her. 'Thanks.'

Sam quickly took the portable handheld radio out of the car and ran back to her. 'Take this too. You'll need to be able to stay in touch.'

'Thank you Sam.' She put the radio in the pocket of her dress, thankful she was wearing shorts under the skirt. 'Please tell Geoff not to worry. I know what I'm doing, just make sure backup doesn't take forever. Git up boy.' She let the stallion have his head, the horse jumping into a gallop and disappearing around the corner of a building out of sight.

'Right, let's get moving.' Jack quickly commanded, opening the car door of the drivers side. 'Chris, you go and tell Geoff what has happened and I want you and him to drive out and meet us up there. I'm going to call DJ and inform him and Tom and get them to get together some more airel help. I'll be taking the plane with David and Sam. Stay in contact.'

'Will do.'

Jack quickly put the car into gear and started the engine as Sam and David did up their seatbelts. 'I just hope we find her in time.'

* * *

Kate sat on the stallions back expertly as he raced across the ground underneath her. She had ridden many horses but had never felt such a shear force of raw power held in check only by a flimsy piece of rope. It would be exhilarating if this isn't a race against time. Turning a corner in the rough track the stallion had chosen, she saw up ahead a boggy patch of ground and shifted her weight as the horse jumped over it in one giant leap. Looking up, she slowed him to a canter as they approached a step hill, sitting through a buck he gave in protest, then let him have his head again, the stallion responding by galloping harder again.

'Victor Charlie Charlie calling Mobile Unit One. Do you read me? Over.'

Kate took the rope in one hand, grabbing the radio with the other. 'Mobile Unit One receiving. Go ahead DJ.'

'The plane has just taken off, its about an hour behind you. They're going to land at the station, then Brett is going to bring them over to the search site by car.' DJ looked at the map in front of him. 'Do you know what your position is?'

'I've just gone through Fullbright Creek.' She replied as Lightning climbed the up the other bank, her legs wet from the crossing. 'Lightning is making good time, but we're still about half an hour away from the place. The ground is really bad around here, we've had to slow down.'

'Alright Kate, standby.' He flipped the switch so he could call the plane. 'Victor Charlie Charlie calling Mike Sierra Foxtrot. Come in.'

Sam picked up the mic. 'Mike Sierra Foxtrot. Go ahead DJ.'

'Sam, I've just spoken to Kate. She's still half an hour away. Is there any chance you could get there before she does?'

'I wish I could Sam, but we're already flat out.' He looked at the dials on the dash. 'Our ETA is still the same. Have you called ahead to arrange a vehicle to meet us at the strip?'

'Already done. They are ready and waiting for your arrival. I'm going to contact Geoff and Chris now. Standby.' DJ went to change channels when another call came in. 'Victor Charlie Charlie receiving you, Tiger Tuppence. What's the matter?'

'I heard about what's happened with the Brown girl over the radio. I'm out mustering with the helicopter bringing the sheep off the government lease parcel and I found something that might be use full to the search.' George Baxter replied, circling his plane up so that it wouldn't look suspicious. 'Gill Brown's car appears to be bogged. He's not going anywhere till he gets it out, and it looks like you guys might have some extra time on your hands.'

'Well, bad for him.' He chuckled a little with relief, then got back to business. 'Have you seen any sign of the girl?'

'No, sorry. Can't say I have.'

What's his location?'

'About twenty kilometers north of the shack. Up on Spiny Burr Ridge. At least Kate won't have to worry about watching out for him. I'm going to keep an eye on him for you while I muster. I'll let you know if anything changes.'

'Alright, thanks George, I'll pass the message on. Switch to channel 124.9, that's the one that all search crews are on. You can tell them directly if he manages to get on the move again.'

'Got it. Switching to channel 124.9 now. Good luck.'

DJ switched back to the channel Kate was on. 'You still there Kate?'

'I am.' She replied as Lightning jumped over a barbed wire fence, clearing it with inches to spare. 'How's the plane coming?'

'Good, although their ETA still hasn't changed. Listen I've just been on the radio to George Baxter. Apparently he's found Gill Brown bogged down about twenty miles north of the shack.'

'At least that's one thing I don't need to worry about.' She automatically shifted her weight as Lightning jumped over a fallen log. 'Did he see if the girl was there?'

'No, she is not with him. George is going to keep an eye on him though for us while he musters his sheep. I'm getting everyone to change the channel 124.9, so he can tell you all directly if he is on the move.'

'Alright, thanks for letting me know. Changing channel now.' Kate pulled Lightning to a stop so she could have both hands free to change the radio channel, then let him run again. 'This is Mobile Unit One joining the channel. I'm making good progress, but still a few kilometers away. Over.'

Geoff heard her voice over the radio and sighed with relief as he picked his mic up to reply. 'Mobile Unit Two here. Good job Kate.'

'Thanks Geoff. Where are you and Chris at the moment?'

Chris took the mic as she looked at the map. 'We're up at the ford crossing over Fullbright Creek, but the road is only getting worse. We've had to slow to a crawl. Depending on the rest of the road, our ETA still remains the same.'

'Alright I'll see you when you arrive. Mobile Unit One going on standby.' She put the radio back into her pocket, then picked up the rope again with both hands to steady herself again as Lightning cantered up another hill. She listened to the conversation on the radio as she rode through a thick forest glade, then pulled the horse to a stop to look around. The trail she had been on split into three and she wondered which one was the right one, then decided to leave it up to the horse. 'Which way home?'

Lightning shook his head as she slackened the reins, then galloped forward, choosing the middle track. He sniffed the air as he surged forward, then smelt human blood and bolted as fast as he could towards it. Josie was hurt, and he knew it. She needed him, and the person on his back.

Kate's breath was taken away as the horse galloped harder and faster then he had during the entire ride, the wind causing her eyes to sting and water. Suddenly they burst out off the trees and down in the valley, the shack became visible. Grabbing out her radio, she tried to slow the horse but found that she couldn't slacken his speed. 'Mobile Unit One here. I have arrived at the shack. All looks quiet here but as soon as this horse stops, I'll take a look around.'

Jack heard her call and picked up the mic in the plane, checking their position for landing. 'Mike Sierra Foxtrot here. We are approaching the station to land, we should be with you soon. Over."

"Alright Jack, I'll see you guys when you get here." She went to put the radio back when Lightning finally slid to a stop, putting his nose to the ground. She looked down at what he was smelling and her eyes widened. "Um, I don't mean to alarm anyone, but the first thing I've just found is a puddle of dried blood. I think it's Josie's." She looked around, but all was quiet. "I can't see her around though."

Geoff heard the worry in her voice as he picked the mic up, glancing at Chris who returned the concerned gaze. 'Kate, I want you to be careful please.' He shifted the car into a higher gear to make it up the steep hill. 'I'd ask you to wait for us before you go finding Josie, but I know your not going to wait. I want you to tape down the talk button so we can hear whats going on, alright?'

'Alright, I'm going to do that now.' She dismounted the horse and gave him a pat, then grabbed a roll of tape and wrapped it around the call button. 'Done. I'm going to take a look around and see if I can find her. There's a trail of blood leading towards the shack, I'm going to check that out first. Over and out.' Placing the radio back into her dress pocket, she knelt down on the grass and picked a blade that had blood on it. She could tell it was a couple hours old and as she stood up, she could make out drag marks on the ground. Grabbing Lightning's reins, she began to follow the tracks. They led right up to the veranda and the trail stopped at the closed door. Quickly she tied the horse to the post, ready if she needed to make a quick get away, then she walked to the door. Cautiously she began to knock. 'Josie, it's Kate here. Are you inside?'

David heard Kate's voice over the radio, and pressed down the talk button. 'What's going on Kate?'

'I've followed the tracks to the door of the house. I think she's inside.' She knocked again, but received no answer. 'Josie? Are you alright?' Still nothing. Grabbing the door handle, she tried to open it, but the door was locked. 'Josie, if you can hear me, please answer.' Something didn't feel right to Kate, and she made up her mind. Taking a couple steps back, she kicked the door as hard as she could, tearing the lock right out of the rotten wood. 'I'm fine guys, don't worry. Just a little redecorating.'

'Sounds like you just kicked a door in.' Sam chuckled as Brett drove them towards where Kate was.

'I just did. Literally.' She looked inside the shack, her eyes adjusting to the dim late afternoon light. Glancing around, she saw the trail of dried blood going around the corner of a cupboard. 'Josie? Josie are you in here?' Silence. 'Alright, I'm going in.' Carefully she stepped inside, trying to step around the broken glass on the floor, but it was impossible. Almost vomiting from the smell, she crept in, grabbing a broom that was leaning against the wall and clearing a path for her to walk on. Broken whisky bottles and empty beer cans littered the floor like a blanket, rotten and smelly animal skins on the tables and benches. Pictures that were once beautiful now hung on the walls precariously, faded beyond recognition, and the curtains slapped around in the breeze from the open door, torn and dirty.

Slowly Kate made her way to the other side of the shack, still following the trail as it came to another closed door, this one locked with a barrel-bolt. Flicking it open, she pushed against the door and it creaked as it swung back. She looked into the room, seeing more blood on the dirty pink carpet. 'Josie? Josie?'

Josie had heard the nurse calling her but she couldn't answer, couldn't move to make noise that would get her around the bed where she could see her. She tried to call out, but all that she could manage was a strangled moan, the gag tied tightly in her mouth.

Kate shook her head at the room, about to leave and look somewhere else when she thought she heard a weak groan. 'Josie?' She stepped into the room, which was obviously the girl's room with its peeling pink paint, then followed the sound. Stepping around the bed, she gasped as she saw the girl lying on the floor, gagged and tied up in rusty barbed wire. 'Oh god.' She rushed to Josies side, knelt down on the blood stained carpet and yanked the radio from her pocket, urgency in her voice. 'I've found her.'

Geoff could hear in her voice something was wrong. 'What is it Kate? How is she?'

"Not good Geoff." She untied the gag from around the girls mouth, then dripped some water she had brought in her bag onto the girl's parched lips. "She's gotten a fever, she's tied up hand and foot with barbed wire, and there's blood everywhere. I don't know what happened, but my guess is that it's her father's doing. I'm going to try and untangle her, but I'm going to need help. David, what's your ETA?"

"About twenty minutes." He replied, Brett mouthing the words to him. "We're coming as fast as we can, but you're going to have try and stop the bleeding if it already hasn't."

"I know, but I don't have enough supplies to cover be able to cover this magnitude. Just get here as quick as you can." She put the radio down, then looked at the girl. "Don't worry honey, we're going to get you out of here."

Josie nodded, relieved that Lightning had been able to get help back, but she was worried for the nurse's safety. She knew her father would be back at any moment, and if the nurse was there, she was going to be in danger. "You have to go. He'll be coming back."

"I'm not leaving you Josie." Kate began to untangle the girl's hands as gently as she could, being careful to avoid the barbs. "He did this, didn't he?"

"Yes." She winced as she felt the barbs tear her skin. "I tried to get away, but he caught me before I could and he beat me badly. I'm sorry Kate, I've put you all in danger. He'll never let me go. You should take Lightning and leave while you can."

"I'm not going, so you might as well not argue with me. You won't win." She gave the girl another sip of water after her hands were untangled, then put the radio and bag out of sight underneath the bed. "You need to save your strength, and anyway, your father is twenty kilometers away, bogged down apparently."

Just at that moment, the radio began to crackle again. "Tiger Tuppence here. Kate, where are you?"

Kate began to unwind the wire from around the girls legs as she responded. "At the shack. Why?"

"You best hurry then." George said, looking down from the helicopter, trying to find Gill's car. "I turned my back for one minute and he managed to get away. He's headed back in your direction Kate, and fast."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **My apologies about this being a short chapter, but I haven't had much time to write this week, so this will have to suffice. I should also mention that after this first story line (about after chapter 10 or so I should think) that I will be following along with actual events out of episodes of the flying doctors, starting of course with season 1. This is set around the beginning, but with all the characters already added into it (due to my own choice)**

 **Also, while I was watching fan music videos of the flying doctors this week, I saw a little clip of David (dr ratcliffe) rescuing a boy from the side of a cliff. So far I haven't been able to find what episode it is in, so if someone could drop me a PM or review with the name of the episode, I'd be extremely grateful.**

 **Alright, enough yaking from me, enjoy the chapter! (oh, and who loved the little cliffhanger I gave you all last week?) *giggles evilly***

* * *

Kate looked at the radio in disbelief. She had to do something, and quickly. "How much time do I have?"

"I don't know, I haven't been able to catch up to him. He's way ahead, and I'm only about ten minutes away, but there is no sign of him." He continued looking around. "You have to get out of there."

"Too late." She heard footsteps on the veranda, obviously from Josie's father. She hadn't heard a car pull up, so she could only guess that he had ditched it somewhere and snuck up on foot. Silently she started to panic, knowing that there was no escape for her, the only chance being if Jack, David and Sam got there in time. Quietly she crawled over to the bed, whispering into the mic. "I'm going to leave this hidden. Please don't say anything until I say so, or you'll blow my cover. I have a plan, but you all need to stay silent." She jumped back away from the bed as she heard the footsteps coming into the room and saw the terror in Josie's eyes. "It's going to be alright."

"No its not." Josie whispered back, tears in her eyes. "There is no escape, for either of us."

Gill walked around the side of the bed, furious that he hadn't been able to find the stallion, then upon returning seeing the horse tied up to the veranda post, making him look like a fool. He glared at the two girls on the floor, rifle in hand. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He kicked Josie's leg, angry that she had been able to get help, the woman sitting beside the girl's head. "Shame that Josie's getting you killed before I have the chance to shoot her."

Kate returned his gaze, struggling to keep her voice even. "She needs medical attention, Mr. Brown. It doesn't need to come to that. You can just leave, and I'll make sure that no one comes after you."

"And leave you both here as witnesses?" He scoffed, levering a round into the chamber. "Sorry, but I can't have any loose ends. I'll be gone and two dead people aren't going to be able to talk, are they?" He looked at Josie as she pressed against the woman, obviously terrified. "You only brought this upon yourself Josie. You have no one else to blame but you."

"That's not true." Kate stood up, knowing that if she kept him talking long enough the other's might make it to her in time. "You don't have to do this. What has Josie done to you anyway? Surely a father couldn't hate his child so much that he would want to kill her."

"You want to know why I hate her so much?" He snarled, his bloodshot eyes boring holes through her. "Because she took away the one thing on earth that I loved more than myself. My wife. She died giving birth to that idiot, and everyday I'm reminded of it."

Kate slowly, cautiously, began to walk closer to him, hoping that she could calm him down enough to grab the gun off him. The pistol that Jack had lent her was in the bag under the bed and out of reach. Getting the rifle off him or keeping him talking long enough were the only things she could do. "It's not her fault that her mother died. Sometimes those things happen, and nothing can change that, but killing us isn't going to bring her back."

"Your right. It won't." He raised the rifle up, pointing it at Kate as he walked towards her, backing her up to the wall behind her. "But if you two get away, then everyone will know what I've done, and I can't let that happen. I'm not going to jail again, and the only way to do that is to get rid of the evidence."

"Please, you don't have to do this." She begged, a tone of desperation in her voice. Trapped between him and the wall of the room she frighteningly watched him and the barrel of the gun. "Please, I beg you. Don't do this." Her voice was now barely a whisper, tears running down her face as she stood moments from death. 'Please.'

"Begging. Rather touching, isn't it?" He pulled back the hammer slowly, cocking the rifle as he took aim. "'I'm sorry, but begging isn't going to help you. It never did me."

"No!" Josie screamed as she heard her father cock the rifle, then adrenaline flooding through her, she lept up in front of the gun as it went off. Yanking it out of his hands, she fell back on the floor, the bullet intended for Kate lodged in her arm. Gathering together her bearings as he stared at her, she pointed the rifle at him with what strength she had left, a fragile shield protecting the woman who had come to help her. Returning his gaze, she cocked the rifle, not trusting herself to speak, but getting her point across without words.

Gill looked at her holding the rifle he, not believing what he was seeing. He stared at her, lost for words. All her life she had bowed to his superiority, but now she was defying him to protect a woman neither of them knew. The sound of the rifle being cocked brought him back to reality, and he suddenly knew what the woman he had almost killed felt like. Turning, he ran out of the room as a bullet whizzed over his head, then he bolted for the forest he had hidden his car in, not looking back.

After she fired the shot, Josie dropped the rifle beside her and looked around at the woman, feeling dazed from the pain but more worried about the nurse's well-being. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine.' Kate replied, rather shaken, then she realized how worried the others would be after hearing the shots. Grabbing the radio out of its hiding place, she sat down beside Josie and gathered herself together so she could talk to them. 'Mobile Unit One calling all search groups. Do you read me? Over.'

Geoff could have cried with relief when he heard her voice over the CB, both he and Chris listening intently to her call, even though it had constantly dropped out they had heard little bits and pieces of it. 'We can hear you Kate. We heard the shots. Are you and Josie okay?'

'I'm fine, but Josie's been shot.' She held the girl against her, trying to comfort and calm the sobbing child down. 'The bullet's wedged in tight in her arm. I'm going to stop the bleeding, but I need help. How far are you away? '

'Just about to turn up the track that leads to the house. We'll be there in five minutes. Where are you David?'

'Almost there.' He grabbed the mic off the dash as he braced himself against his chair, the car going down a steep incline. Brett was doing an expert job of driving, but even he seemed a little worried, his hands white as he gripped the steering wheel. As they rounded a corner, he could see the shack in the distance. 'The house is in sight. Where are you and Josie, Kate?'.

'Inside the house.' She replied, holding a dressing tight over the gunshot wound in the girls arm to stop the bleeding. 'In the room on your left as soon as you walk in the door. Be careful, there's broken glass everywhere on the floor.'

'Alright, I'll be with you in a moment.' He placed the mic back as Brett pulled the car to a stop, then grabbed his bag and jumped out. 'Kate and I can handle it from here. You guys have a criminal to catch.'

'Are you sure?' Jack asked uncertainty. 'Wont you need help?'

'Geoff and Chris will be here any minute. We have it under control.'

'Fine then, as long as your sure.' He relented, then picked up the radio to call for an aerial search. 'George, we have a runner…'

David ran into the house, if it could be called that and quickly went into the room Kate and Josie were in, careful not to step on the broken bottles. He looked at the girl, Kate sitting next to her and got down on his knees, seeing the girl was still conscious. 'How are you feeling?'

'Awful, it hurts so much.' Josie cried as her entire body was racked with pain, her arm where she had been shot going numb. 'But I couldn't let him kill Kate. I had to do it.'

Kate saw Davids questioning glance, and had to look away, her emotions taking over. 'She stepped in between me and the gun. She got shot when she wrestled the rifle from him.'

David nodded understandably as he heard Geoff and Chris pull up outside, then turned back to assessing the child's injuries. If they were going to save her, this wasn't the time for emotions. 'Kate, get an IV line set up, we're going to have to get some fluids into her.' He grabbed out the bottle of morphine and filled a needle halfway, then looked back at Josie. 'This will help with the pain, okay.'

'Okay.' She repeated barely above a whisper, wincing as he stuck the needle into the vein in her other arm.

'It will take effect very quickly Josie, just try to relax. We're going to get you out of here.' He stroked her hand reassuringly then turned to the other task at hand as Kate got the IV ready. Untangling her from the rest of the barbed wire.

'How can we help?' Geoff asked as he and Chris came into the room, lighting it up with a torch so they could see in the dim dusk light.

'Chris, you can hold the light. Geoff, I need you down here with me.' He tried to gently pull the wire away, but it was stuck fast in the flesh. 'We have to get this wire off her so we can get her back to the plane.'

'Would these help?' He handed David a pair of wire cutters. 'Found them in the car.'

'Brilliant.' Quickly he made light work of the remaining wire, then the girls legs were freed. 'Kate, is the IV line in?' He began to stop the bleeding, then turned back to the nurse when she didn't reply. 'Kate!'

Kate glanced at him, her hands shaking as she tried to get the needle ready. 'I can't get the vein, its collapsed.' She picked up the girls hand again, to try a second time, then felt it go limp. 'David, she's stopped breathing!'

David quickly dropped what he was doing and shuffled up beside Kate, placing his ear to the girls chest. 'Geoff, get the oxygen ready.' He started CPR quickly, alternating between pressing on her chest and blowing into her mouth. 'Come on Josie, you can do it. Breath Josie, please.'

Geoff pulled the small oxygen canister out of the bag and hurriedly attached the mask. 'Ready David.'

David pulled away as Geoff placed the mask over the girls face, pleeding inwardly for the girl to breath. 'Come on Josie, you can do it.'

'She's breathing again.' He exclaimed with relief as he saw the girl's chest rise and fall, but keeping the mask on her face. 'We have to get her back to the plane. Now.'

'Right.' David quickly picked up the radio handset as the two woman hurriedly packed up the things, wondering how far away Sam and Jack were. 'Sam, where are you? We need to get Josie back to the hospital as fast as possible, or I don't think she's going to make it.'

Sam looked at Jack as he picked up the mic to reply, glad they were already on the way back. 'We're heading back now, we lost his trail and it getting dark. We're about ten minutes from the plane. Where are you?'

'Still at the shack.' He looked down at Josie while Geoff monitored her breathing and heart rate. 'Listen, get the plane started as soon as you get back to it. We're about to leave here but Jack and Chris will have to take the car. There won't be enough room for all of us.'

'Right. Over and out.'

'Lets get her into the car.' David threw the radio into a bag, then slid his arms underneath the girls body. Gently he picked her up, then turned around to take her out. 'Geoff, you drive. I'll watch her, but we're going to need to get her back as soon as possible.'

'Right.' Geoff held the front door of the shack open, then hurried after them to the car. 'Chris, up front with me. I'll need you to guide me with the compass. We definitely do not need to get lost out here.'

Kate opened the back passenger door and slid in, taking the girl onto her lap as David handed her over. 'Hang in there Josie. You can make it.'

'Let's hope so.' David closed the door as he squeezed in, Geoff starting the car's engine. 'All good here, let's go.'

'You best hold on.' He put the car into gear, then drove the four-wheel drive forward. 'This could get bumpy.'

'Let's hope not.' Kate looked at the unconscious girl in her arms, the reality of the nightmare they were in finally sinking in. 'David, she saved my life.'

'And now we are going to save hers.' He replied, listening to the girls heart with his stethoscope. 'Her heart is still weak, but steady. There's not much more we can do until we reach the plane.'

'We can't let her die David.' Kate pulled the girls head against her chest as they went over a big bump. 'She risked her life to save me, and now she's hurt and bad too.'

David could see where this was leading. The last thing they all needed was for Kate to lose it, especially when they had an emergency on their hands. 'Kate. Listen to me. This is not your fault. Her getting shot hasn't caused this, the infection has. Granted, it hasn't helped much, but you can't break now. We need your help Kate. She needs your help.'

'Your right David.' She wiped a tear away, resolving not to give in until she could later. Pulling herself together, she looked up at David. 'What do you want me to do?'

'Just monitor her breathing.' He glanced at her encouragingly, knowing she needed the support. 'If it starts to get shallow again, she's going to need more oxygen.'

Kate placed her free hand gently but firmly on the girls chest. 'She's breathing rather shallow and fast, but sketchy. Is there something you can give her to make it more regular?'

'It's back at the plane.' He braced himself as the car hit a rock, then glanced out the window. 'How much further?'

Geoff put his foot on the accelerator as they left the brush. 'Only a couple more kilometers left. Lets hope Sam's back at the plane.'

'Sounds like he might be.' Chris remarked as the radio crackled to life. 'Sam, you back at the plane yet?'

'Yep.' He replied as he flipped the switch to start the engine. 'It was a bit of a bumpy ride. Listen, I've just been talking to DJ. The weather is starting to get rough back at the strip, if we wait too much longer we mightn't be able to land. Where are you?'

'Just about there. Josie's stabilized for the moment, but we really need to get her to the hospital. Are you willing to fly us back? It's your call, your the pilot. Will you be able to bring it down?'

'If I can't, then my name isn't Sam Patterson. The plane is ready and waiting. I'll see you when you get here. Over and out.'

Chris put the mic down as she checked the map and compass again. 'Is she holding out David?'

'She's doing the best she can.' He replied, listening to her heart again. 'She's a fighter, I'll give her that.'

'Lets hope its enough.' Kate looked out the window anxiously, looking for any sign of the plane in the setting sunlight. 'There, I see it. I've never thought I'd be so glad for a plane flight in a storm.'

David looked up and saw them approaching the plane, Brett's car driving in from the other direction with Sam and Jack on board. 'Right, lets get her into the plane.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Here we go guys! Chapter 5! Sorry I'm a little late with this weeks update *hides under table* but its been rather quite crazy here on my end. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter, and please drop me a review if you are liking it! I need to know that people actually do appreciate my work!**

* * *

Geoff pulled the car up beside the plane and jumped out, opening the door for David. 'I'll take her.'

'Thanks Geoff.' David handed the limp girl to him as Sam lept out of the other car and raced into the plane, starting the engines. 'Jack!' He waved the Constable over. 'We're going to take Josie back in the plane, but there won't be enough room for all of us. Your going to have to drive the car back with Chris.'

'Sure mate.' Jack jogged over to him as David and Kate grabbed the rest of their supplies. 'Anything else I can do?'

'Josie's horse is tied up back at the shack. If you can borrow a horse trailer, can you bring him back and drop him off at Kate's?' He turned to the nurse as they hurried to the plane. 'Is that okay with you?'

'It's fine by me.' She replied, handing the bags to Geoff then climbed up into the aircraft. 'If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have know about Josie. Just be careful with him Jack, he's quite skittish.'

'Don't worry, I will be.' He held the bags for David as the doc boarded the plane. 'See you back at the crossing.'

Chris waved to him from the car as she wound the window down. 'Good luck!'

'Thanks.' David yelled to her over the noise of the planes engines, then closed the door so Sam could lift off. 'How's she holding out Geoff?'

'She's doing okay now, her heart rate is more steady and so's her breathing.' Geoff replied as he hung up the IV fluid bag to the hook on the roof. 'How deep in is that bullet Kate?'

'Pretty deep.' She tried to feel for a pulse in the arm that had the bullet in it. 'It has to be pressing against the artery, I can't get a pulse and her hand is getting really cold.'

'The bullets stopping the blood circulation.' David looked at Geoff as the plane leveled out from the take off. 'Are we going to get it out here?'

Geoff opened another bag with his operating tools as Kate sat on the chair beside Josie's head, stroking her hair. 'If we don't, she could lose her arm. We have to try. Sam, can you keep the plane steady?'

'Sure thing mate.' Sam flipped the switch to turn the plane on to autopilot. 'You going to be doing some fancy knife work back there?'

'Something like that.' He checked the girls heart and breathing rate again, then grabbed out his scalpel. 'Alright, let's get out this bullet.'

Kate continued to stroke the girls hair as David and Geoff operated on the girls arm, as if she were in a kind of daze. She couldn't believe the anger and hate she had seen in the man's eyes and now she understood why Josie had been so scared of that monster. 'Hang in there Josie, please.' She whispered gently, low enough for the other two not to hear. 'Your going to be alright.'

'There it is.' David exclaimed as he saw the bullet, lodged into the muscle just barely missing the bone. 'Pull it open just a little bit more Geoff.' He grabbed the tweezers as Geoff opened the wound larger, then began the careful process of extracting the bullet. 'Got it.'

Geoff sighed with relief as David pulled the bullet out, glad that there had been no damage to the artery. 'It was wedged in their pretty tight.'

'That it was.' He agreed as he began to stitch the gunshot wound closed. 'I've got it handled here, you should see to the worse wounds on her legs. Quite a few are going to need sutures.'

'Alright.' He squeezed past David and knelt down by the foot of the bed, shaking his head at how torn up her legs were. 'We'll have to give her a tetanus shot when we get back to the hospital. The rust from the wire has probably already managed to get into her bloodstream. I can't believe someone could be so cruel to intentionally injure a child like this.'

'Well, he wasn't about to win awards for kindness.' Kate replied as she checked the IV, Geoff starting to work on the gashes. 'His intent was to kill her, he doesn't care how he did it.'

'That's obvious.' David bandaged up the girls arm gently, then felt her arm warming up as blood began to flow through it again. He looked at Kate and saw her face, realizing how much it was affecting her. Sliding over to Geoff as she looked out the window, staring blankly into the oncoming storm and the sunset, he nudged him gently. 'I'll take over from here. Right now there's someone who could use a shoulder to lean on" He motioned to Kate. "She's taking it hard Geoff.' He didn't mention that it was from almost being killed herself by the maniac that was the girl's father, thinking it better to let her tell him when she was ready. "I've got it under control Geoff. Go on."

Geoff glanced over at Kate and saw what David was meaning. Taking off his gloves, he nodded as he handed the needle and suturing thread to him. "Alright." He patted David on the back as he moved around him. "Thanks mate." Slowly he made his way over to Kate, sitting down behind her. "Are you okay Kate?"

Kate nodded unconvincingly, not looking at him. "I'm fine."

"No, your not." He replied gently, knowing she wasn't speaking the truth. "Kate, what happened back there?"

"I-" Her voice trailed off as her shoulders began to shake, finally losing it. "Oh, Geoff, I was so scared."

Geoff was surprised by Kate's reaction, normally she was so strong, nothing fazing her. He had heard what had gone on over the radio, but it had been rather vague and constantly dropping out. He also hadn't been able to pay much attention to it because he had been more worried about getting there in time. "Oh, Kate, you're alright, you're alright."

Kate began to cry as Geoff held her. "He was going to kill me Geoff. I've never been so terrified. He was holding the gun at my head, and I didn't have anywhere to go. I've never seen such hate in a person's eyes. He was seriously wanting to kill me, and that's when Josie stepped in. She grabbed the rifle and took the shot for me. I was so scared."

"Sssh, sssh, your going to be okay Kate. You got out of the situation. Josie's going to be okay as well. Your both fine." He gently patted her hair, letting her get it out of her system. 'Your safe now. Its over."

"I know. I know." She began to wipe the tears away from her face, slowly regaining her composure. After a time, she finally stopped crying and pulled away from Geoff. "Thanks Geoff. I needed to get that out."

"I know you did." Geoff grabbed out a handkerchief and wiped the couple of remaining tears off Kate's cheeks. "You did well today."

"Thanks." She looked at Geoff, a kind of gentle, thankful look in her eyes. "You weren't so bad yourself."

David glanced over at Kate and Geoff after he finished stitching and bandaging Josie's legs, and shook his head. It was plain to anyone with two eyes that they were in love, even though neither of them wanted to admit it, but he was glad that Kate had someone to lean on. He had heard everything over the radio, their signal better because it was across open plains and not through dense forest and he knew how hard it must have been for her. "Sorry to break up the party, but I've finished working on Josie. She's going to be okay."

* * *

Jack was back in his office that night when he heard a knock on the door. Glancing up from his report he was writing on what had happened, he saw that it was Geoff standing there. "Come in Geoff, take a seat."

"Thank you." He took a seat, then looked at Jack. "Any luck on getting some more people to track this guy down?"

"I've already spoken to the head office in Broken Hill. They're already sending out reinforcements to find Charlie Moxon. He's been on the run for years, and of course, getting him is going to be quite a major relief." He put his pen down as he finished the page he was writing. "How's Josie?"

"As well as can be expected. She still hasn't woken up, but that's no surprises, considering."

Jack knew what he was meaning. "What did he do to her? Besides tying her up in wire?"

"She's been beaten severely. The bruising she sustained to her chest, stomach and back all coincide with being kicked. She's lucky that she didn't get broken ribs into the equation. She's already injured and weakened that she doesn't need any more things to go wrong."

"I can agree with that." He got up and grabbed himself a cup of coffee, then offered Geoff one too. "And how's Kate?"

"She's alright." He took a sip of coffee. "She won't leave Josie's side, after what Josie did today to save her, Kate's getting quite connected to her. She doesn't want Josie to freak out when she wakes up in a strange place. It's going to take her a bit to trust us enough without adding in people she doesn't know."

Jack nodded as he digested what Geoff had said. "You know, I'm going to need an official statement from both you, Kate, David and Chris regarding the girl's injuries, and also one from Kate about him threatening her with the gun. When Charlie gets caught, you all may need to testify in court as well, and so will Josie."

"Is she really going to have to relive everything she's already been through?" He asked, quite concerned about what it might do to her mentally. "She's already been through so much, that having to explain it all to a court of law might be the last straw."

"Only if she's up to it. And then there's the matter of guardianship. The social worker is going to be coming in on tomorrow's flight from Broken Hill, and depending on what she thinks, Josie might be taken away and placed into foster care."

Geoff suddenly looked up when he heard the words 'foster care' There was one place on earth that he knew wouldn't help the girl, and that was one of them. "I forgot completely that someone from the department was coming up tomorrow. Do you really think she'll take Josie away?"

"Or send her to a institution." Jack played with his pen, popping the lid on and off. "I know how you feel about the possibility, but unless your in a position to take care of her, someone else will."

"I can't look after her. Not with the hours that I work and the amount of time she would need, but sending her away isn't going to help her. She knows the place around here, it's her home. Even though it's not much of one."

"I know Geoff, but I'm sorry. Unless someone from the community comes forward to look after her, she'll have to go back with her when she's better. She's already a ward-of-the-state, there's not anything really I or anyone else can do about it."

* * *

Kate was reading a book late that night beside Josie's bed when she heard the girl beginning to stir, moaning gently and tossing weakly in her bed. She closed the book and placed it on the bedside table, then leant over near Josie. "Josie, Josie. It's alright. You're safe here."

Josie heard the woman's voice and opened her eyes, seeing she was in a completely different place. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"Your in the Cooper's Crossing hospital Josie. Your very sick." She placed her hand on the girls hair, running her fingers through the long tresses to calm the girl down. "Your going to be alright though, you just need rest and lots of it."

"Where's Lighting?"

"In the paddock at my house with my horses." She explained quietly so she didn't wake the other patients. "Our policeman, Sergeant Jack and Dr. Randell brought him back for you. He's safe and sound in the stable, probably enjoying a big meal of hay right now."

Josie tried to remember where she had heard the name Jack before and what connection it had to her. "Sargent Jack? As in Jack Carruthers?"

"Yes." Kate replied, a little surprised that she had heard of him. "How do you know him?"

"My father used to talk about him all the time, and not in a nice way. Obviously." She tried to move her arm a little, but found she had some sort of tube in it and decided against it. "He used to give Sara and me a lolly whenever he saw us without my father around. I remember more from when I was six than most people would realize."

"Yes, I bet you do." She chuckled a little at the girl's statement, then saw the clock saying it was 2 am. "You need to get some sleep Josie, alright? I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Okay." Josie closed her eyes, then felt Kate take her hand off her hair. She had never had anyone play with her hair before, and it felt so nice, actually making her feel relaxed and sleepy. "I don't think I asked you to stop. Can you play with my hair for a bit longer? It's making me sleepy."

Kate smiled and placed her hand back. "There you go Josie. I won't stop till your asleep."

"Thanks Sister Kate."

"It's just Kate to you. I don't mind, after all, you saved me today so I think you your entitled to it. Now, go to sleep."

"Yes Kate." Josie chuckled, teasing her, but finally relieved to be far far away from her monster of a father. Sinking down into her soft pillow, she wondered if this was going to be as good as she hoped it was, being able to be away from him but knowing it probably wasn't going to last forever. But for tonight, she was safe.

Kate continued to play with Josie's hair as the clock ticked on. She was getting over the fright and the brush with death that she had had that day, but still she couldn't feel sleepy enough to grab some winks. She watched the clock tick over and over until about five o'clock in the morning she finally fell asleep, her hand still on Josie's head.

* * *

"Did you manage to get some sleep last night?" David asked as he saw Geoff in the hospital the next morning. "Kate never left here last night, she stayed with Josie."

"I could have guessed that." He looked up from his desk. "I'm just about to go over and check on her and Josie. Have those blood tests for her come back yet?"

"Paula mentioned that they did come in. I think they're in your patient folder."

"Would you mind getting them for me?"

"What's wrong with your legs?" David teased. "I'll go get them."

Geoff laughed as David walked out of his office, then got up himself and followed him out to the wall where they kept the patients folder and saw him standing at the desk, a concerned look on his face. "What do they say David?"

"She's severely anemic Geoff." He handed him the lab report. "And her B12 levels aren't much better."

"I can see that." Geoff looked at the report, then back at David. "I'm seriously not surprised that she's anemic, she's malnourished so that's why her blood work is so bad."

"Are we going to start supplements for her? To get the iron and B12 up?"

"Probably." He put the report back into the file and placed it back on the shelf, then followed David to the room where Josie was. 'She already needs a blood transfusion, so for the moment that should be enough."

David peaked through the curtain, then closed it again and turned to Geoff. "Looks like both of them are getting some beauty sleep. Kate's out to it."

Geoff looked in and smiled as he saw her asleep beside Josie, her hand on the girl's head. "Well, take a look at that." He pulled the curtain open and crept in, putting his hand on Kate's shoulder. "Kate, it's morning." He gently whispered. "Wake up."

Kate yawned quietly as she opened her eyes, then saw David with a smirk on his face standing at the door. "What's gotten you so amused?"

"And a good morning to you too." David chuckled as he walked in, then began to examine the girl. "Did she wake up last night?"

"For a few minutes. She was worried about her horse." She explained, then got up and moved away from the girls bed so Geoff could get in. "And I found out too that she likes her hair being brushed as well. She's quite the cheeky one."

"I'll take that as a complement." Josie said as she heard them talking about her and woke up. "And Kate snores. She's kept me awake for the last two hours."

"Oh, really?" Geoff looked at Kate with a smirk on his face, then back at Josie. "How are you feeling now?"

"Like I came off Lightning and got trampled on by a herd of buffalo." She tried to crack a joke, then turned serious. "I am really sorry that I got you all into danger. My father can be quite the pain in the neck and I apologize for everything that happened."

"It's not your fault Josie." Kate assured. "You can't control what he does, only he can. The decisions he makes he has to answer for, not you."

"Sister Kate is right Josie." David agreed as he checked the girl's temperature, glad that the fever was starting to go down. "All you need to worry about is getting better. Let the police handle your father. He'll be caught in a couple days and it will all be over for good."

"If only it was that easy." She glanced in his direction. "If he was wise, he'll be in another state by now, pretending to be someone else with a different name. It will never be over with him until one of us dies. That's just the way it is. It's like a game to him. Seeing how close he can wag his tail in the nose of the police and still get away with it. I've seen it before.I haven't been here all my life you know, we did move around and it was the same in every single place we were at. My father is quite the one to play a charmer when he wants too, he can fool anyone, but he can't fool me. I know what he is like, and I'll be glad never to see him again. Dead or alive. He's already ruined my childhood, he's not going to ruin the rest of my life too." She wanted to change the subject of conversation, thinking about her father made her angry, really angry. "So, what's wrong with me?"

Geoff looked at David, then back at Josie as David nodded, letting him know it was okay by him if he told her what was going on. "Well, apart from the gashes caused by the wire, the wound you got from the star picket and the gunshot wound you got yesterday, I'd say you're ready to compete in the next olympics." He playfully teased her, then turned serious. "Josie, we did a complete blood count on you yesterday and it seems that among other things you're severely anemic."

"Oh, I know that." Josie replied, talking about it as if she had just been asked if she wanted to have a sweet. "Eating goanna and snake stew isn't exactly iron building food."

"Did a doctor diagnose you with it?" David asked, wondering if she had a medical history somewhere else.

"No, I found a couple of medical books a few years back and I had all the symptoms, so I did try my best to eat a lot of iron rich food. Not exactly too easy to get my hands on though, but I did try my best. I just couldn't afford to sit around and recuperate, I had to just live with it as best I could. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well, you're going to need a blood transfusion later today. You lost a lot of blood yesterday, and it needs to be replaced, but that will also help with your iron and B12 levels." Geoff replied as he wrote down on her file about the transfusion. "Other than feeling like you got run over by a herd of buffalo, how do you feel?"

"Alright I guess." She yawned, then felt her arm beginning to hurt again. "My head hurts a little bit, I'm feeling thirsty and my arm and ribs are starting to throb, but other then that, I feel like a million bucks."

"I'll go get you some water." Kate chuckled, then left the room,closing the curtains behind her.

"On a scale from one to ten, what would you say your pain is at Josie?" David asked, changing the empty IV to a new one. "I'm surprised that after what you've been through, your still ratherly calm and in good spirits."

"Well, not much holds me down Dr. Ratcliffe. I have to be this way, I couldn't afford for people to see me be weak or else they think they can run all over me." She winced as she felt him checking her arm to make sure that the wound hadn't bled through, knowing that she could finally put her guard down and ask for help. "But I would really appreciate something for the pain, it's about a six."

"Alright, I won't be long."

Josie stared at the roof after he had gone, biting back tears as she felt the other doctor unbandaging her legs. She yelped a little, then felt ashamed of expressing it and looked away in embarrassment. She couldn't afford to be a weakling, there was nothing she couldn't handle, well, except this. She felt so uncertain,so frightened, even though they were the kindest people she had ever met.

Geoff glanced over at her when he heard her yelp and saw the tears in her eyes. "Josie, it's alright. You don't need to bottle it up. You might have had to be strong when you were with your father, but you aren't now, you can let it out. Now, be truthful. How much pain are you in?"

"A lot."Josie bit her lip, fighting back the urge to cry. "I'm sorry. I've been taught showing pain is being weak, and I've just learn to put up with it, but it is really hurting. Especially my arm."

"Well, just hang in there for a little bit longer Josie." David said as he came back in, with some painkillers to place in the drip. "This will kick in shortly."

"Thanks." She replied as she watched him put it into the drip, then felt her stomach growl, reminding her she hadn't eaten for three days, but pushing the thought aside. "Can I sit up a little please?"

"Sure Josie, just as soon as Kate gets back to give Geoff a hand. I need to start my rounds. I'll see you two later on. Try and get as much rest as you can."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go and run a marathon." Josie teased as he left, feeling a little better as the painkillers began to take effect. "What's the time anyway?"

"Breakfast time." Kate replied as she walked in with a tray and placed it on the table next to the bed, then helped Geoff lift the girl up a little so she could eat. "I hope your hungry."

"You bet I am." She eyed the food hungrily, realizing how hungry she was. "It looks nice."

"That's the first compliment I've ever heard about hospital food." Geoff chuckled, then looked at Kate. "I have to get to the base, I'll see you later."

"Alright, see you later Geoff."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Alright, here is another chapter guys! A big shoutout to KtH for reviewing my story with the episode numbers that I asked about. Thank you very much!**

 **Be sure to drop me a review if you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Kay Walsh looked around the vacant airport as the plan she had just come in on took off back to Broken Hill. So this was Coopers Crossing. Not really her type of town, being used to the big cities like Canberra and Sydney, but she had been assigned to come there by her superiors, and she hoped to make quick work out of the case. Seeing a person inside the aircraft hanger, she picked up her bags and walked over. 'Hello.'

Sam looked up from working on the Nomad at the woman. 'G'day. You must be new around here.'

'Just flew in from Broken Hill.' She shook his hand. 'Kay Walsh. Mrs.'

'Sam Patterson. What brings you out here?'

'I work for the Department Of Child Services. I'm here on official business. Now, if you'd be so kind as to point me in the direction of a bus to Coopers Crossing, I'll get out of your hair.'

Sam chuckled slightly. All these city folks were the same, talking in their foreign educated language. 'I'm afraid there isn't one, but I'm going back there now. I could drop you off there if you like.'

'That would be most appreciated.' She followed him to the car and threw her luggage in the back seat, then took the front passengers seat without another word.

Sam shook his head slightly at her behaviour as he started the engine and turned onto the road back to the crossing. So this was who had been called in to figure out what to do with the girl they had rescued, personally to him, she left a bad taste in his mouth. He stared at the road as he drove along it, absorbed in his thoughts as the woman with the big glasses sorted out her paperwork. He had spoken with Emma about the girl when he had gotten home last night, but they both had to agree that there was no way they could look after her. They could barely keep a roof over their heads, let alone have another mouth to feed, but he didn't want to see the girl be thrown into a home that could be worse than the one she had already gotten away from. 'Mrs. Walsh if I may, what is going to happen with the girl?'

'That is none of your business young man.' She replied, her rough short blond hair matching her attitude. 'Now, if you would be so kind.' She motioned to the police station they were driving past.

'Certainly.' He pulled into an empty car park, shut off the car's engine and went to help the woman out of the car but she had already gathered her things and was walking up the footpath without even so much as a thank you. 'Like the red carpet too?' He mumbled as he closed his door with a bang, then strode over to the base.

'Something the matter?' Tom asked as Sam walked in the door, looking a lot cranky. 'Had a fight with Emma?'

'Very funny.' He ignored the teasing, instead intent on the job he had come for. 'Is Geoff and Kate around?'

'No, they're still at the hospital doing their rounds.' He looked at Sam carefully. 'Something is wrong, isn't it?'

'Well, let's say this. I think I just met a female version of Hitler. Mrs. Walsh, the person from the department handling Josie's case has arrived in town.'

'And I gather from your tone, it didn't go down too well.'

'Like a balloon. Listen, I'm going to go warn Geoff and Kate. I'm guessing she's going to turn up at the hospital sooner or later and they might as well know shes in town. Thanks mate, I'll see you around.' He walked back out of the base in a hurry, leaving Tom very confused and concerned. Quickly he made his way over to the hospital and found David in the office sorting out records. 'David, is Geoff around?'

'He's around here somewhere.' David replied, looking up from the papers. 'Is it urgent?'

'It could be.' He saw the look on David's face and decided to explain. 'The woman from the department is here about Josie. Mrs. Walsh. I brought her into town from the airport. Never have I met such a horrible woman. She didn't even say a thank you for the lift.'

'If its Mrs. Walsh, don't expect her to leave the welcome mat out.' Geoff intercepted the conversation as he and Kate walked into the room. 'Did she have short, blond hair, big glasses and is about two feet shorter than me?'

'That's her alright.' Sam looked at him quizzically. 'Do you know her?'

'I wish I didn't.'

'Why?' Kate couldn't quite understand it. 'What's going on?'

'Kay Walsh was one of the social workers back in Sydney I met when I was there.' He began to explain. 'We didn't get along then, and I don't think we'll get along now.'

'I can see why.' Sam butted in as he leant against the desk. 'She's not exactly the nicest person on earth. She might be an educated city slicker, but she has no idea on how to treat people.'

'So, she hasn't changed then.' Geoff mumbled, a concerned look on his face. 'I might have a little chat with Jack later.'

* * *

Josie was sitting up in bed later in the afternoon, stumbling over a book that Kate had given her to look at. She hadn't had much of an education, never had sat in a classroom. What little she knew had been taught to her sister by her mother, then passed down to her. Sighing with exasperation as she stumbled over a word she wasn't used to, she remembered the way Sara used to teach her, to sound out each syllable. Slowly she began to remember how to read, the lessons she had been taught vaguely coming back to her mind. She fumbled through the second page, then decided it was enough for one day and began to look at the colorful pictures of the horses instead.

'Do you like the book?' Kate asked softly as she walked into the room, carrying a glass of water. 'It was my favorite when I was little. I used to sit for hours imagining I was the girl riding in the rodeo, or on a chestnut stallion racing the waves on the seashore.'

'I do like it.' Josie replied as she closed the book and placed it aside so she could take the glass. 'What I can manage to read that is. After Sara left, I had to teach myself as best I could, obviously it's a little hard and I'm a bit out of practice.'

'Don't worry Josie, in time it will all come back.' She encouraged as she checked the girls temperature again, revealed to find that It was almost back to normal. 'How are you feeling now?'

'Like I'm walking on air. Whatever is in that drip works like a miracle.'

'Good enough for a couple visitors?'

Josie looked at her warely, not quite too sure about the idea. 'Depends on who it is.'

'Oh, you'll like these two.' Kate turned towards the closed curtain. 'It's fine, you can come in now.'

Josie's face lit up when she saw who had come to see her. 'Sargent Jack! Mrs. Buckley!' She looked at the old woman fondly, remembering the chocolate chip cookies she used to give her and Sara. 'Long time, no see.'

'Hi Josie.' Nancy chuckled as she took a seat next to the girls bed, taking the bandaged hand in hers. 'How are you darling?'

'As well as can be expected, considering the circumstances.' She glanced at Jack as he sat in the other spare chair next to Nancy, Kate quietly slipping out to return to her work. 'I'm certain by now you've been filled in on what's been going on, Sarge.'

Jack nodded, surprised how well the girl seemed to be taking it all in. 'Dr. Standish and the others had a meeting with me when you first met them the other day, expressing their concern for your safety. I led the search yesterday when your horse came traipsing through town, I know all about what happened.'

'That's a relief then.' She turned away, not quite certain how she felt about all of this. 'How's Lightning?'

'He's fine. A few cuts and scrapes, but he's fine.' Nancy assured, still holding onto the child's hand, not knowing much that had taken place, only the vague debrief Jack had given her before their visit. 'Its you we're concerned about honey, you gave us rather a frightening scare, your horse bolting into town the way he did. We all thought the worst with the bullet wounds he has. What's been happening child?'

Josie glanced back at Nancy. She knew the old lady was just worried about her, but she still didn't have the courage to want to talk about what had happened the last eight years. The wounds were just still too fresh, and the events that had taken place in the last couple of days almost more than she cared to remember. 'I'm sorry. I can't talk about it.' She had to turn away from them, tears starting to well up in her eyes. 'I can't.'

'Josie, you can't hold it inside you forever.' Jack placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. 'Whenever your ready, we are here to listen.'

'You and every Tom, Dick and Harry. I know what this town is like, my life will be being discussed down at the pub before I've finished this drink. Do you think I want what happened to me to be shouted from the rooftops?' She snapped, then instantly regretted it. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to blow my top. I know your only trying to help.' She sat in silence for a moment, then began to explain. 'Whenever I think of my father, I just have this overwhelming feeling of anger wash over me. That's why its hard to talk about it. I nearly shot him yesterday, I was so mad and scared. He almost murdered both Nurse Wellings and I. At least I was able to stop him.' She lowered he voice to almost a whisper as she stared at her bandaged writsts and hands. 'Unlike last time.'

Jack heard her little statement and raised his eyebrows. He could sense that there was more to this then she was letting on. 'What do you mean Josie?'

'He'd kill me if I told you. He's been trying to keep the cops off his back for years, trying to keep them from finding out.'

'Finding out what?' He changed the question, asking it more sternly as he heard Kate coming back, then he spoke again gentler. 'I need to know Josie. He needs to be behind bars, where he can't hurt more people. Now, explain what you meant please.'

Josie took a deep breath, knowing she was backed into a corner. She had to tell them, even though the memories were awful. She began to shiver as she relived them, then felt Kate begin to stroke her hair. Slowly she calmed down enough to tell the tale. 'I was about ten when it happened. Things were getting a little hot up north where we were hiding out on one of my fathers mates stations and we had to get moving on again. The police were getting closer, and he was getting warm feet from the pressure. Honestly, I wish they had caught us, it would have been better in the long run, but no; we had to always stay a step ahead of the game. We came down south, over Mildura e way where he called in a favour a man owed him. We stayed on at the place, hidden from prying eyes, a place where members of his band of 'friends' would meet to warn each other about where the police were. While we stayed, I met a young woman there. She had been a teacher, until she had gotten involved in a relationship with one of the men. She wasnt like the others, she always was polite and a real lady. She never drank, didn't smoke and was used to the comments and teasing she would get from them. Eventually my father got some work on a station and we left, Bethany coming with us because she had broken up with her boyfriend and taken a job as a cook. She took me under her wing, and I adored her, much to my fathers annoyance. She used to teach me cooking and things when she had a chance. She never liked the way my father treated me, or Lightning who my father had won in a power game, intended to sell him later on, when things had could off.'

Kate looked at Josie as she stopped talking and continued to stroak her hair. 'What happened then?'

'My father got drunk, really drunk one night and beat me so badly I was unconchess for three days. Betheny never left my side, and when I had gotten better, she hatched a plan to get us both away and make a new start somewhere far away from him and anything to do with the likes of that man. But it failed. He caught us.' She began to cry softly as what happened in the forest flooded back, reliving the day. 'There was an argument. She tried to stop him from taking me and hurting me further, and they fought. He had a gun, and I tried to stop him from shooting her but I couldn't. I held her as she died in my arms, her life just ebbing away. When I looked up, my father was holding the rifle, an evil smirk on his face. She was the first person I ever saw die, and it was him who made that happen. '

'Oh Josie, I'm so sorry sweetie.' Nancy gently whispered to her, handing Kate a handcercheif to dry the girls tears. 'I'm sorry.'

Josie sniffled as she looked at Jack, deciding to finish the story no matter how painful it was. 'My father hated how close she was to me, she was almost like a mother. He hated that. He always wanted to get rid of her, and her tring to take off with me was the perfect excuse. He had tried to kill he before, by poisioning her food, but I got rid of it before she ate it. I knew it was just a matter of time till he killed her. He just couldn't stand the thought of anyone getting close to me, he never wanted me to have that so I would be easier to control.' She wiped away a tear as she continued. 'After she died, my father had to cover up the evidence, and I was the only one that had witnessed it. He couldn't get rid of me too, it would look even too suspicious to his 'mate' and so he just threw her body into river.'

'Just like that?' Jack asked, mentally writing everything down for later reference.

'Just like that.' She replied with watery eyes, then glanced up at Kate. 'He reported her to his mate as 'missing' and they never found a trace of her. The only way someone would know was if I told them, and that was and is his greatest fear. That, and a pack of things long enough to write a list that would touch the moon. Yesterday, when he had the gun on Nurse Wellings, it brought those memories. I couldn't let her get killed too, not another person dead because they had tried to help me. I don't care about what he does to me, its only me, but I can't let more people get hurt because he's infatuated with keeping his secrets safe. Its my fault Bethany was killed, and its my fault Nurse Kate nearly got killed yesterday.'

'Josie, none of this is your fault. There is nothing you could change about it, nothing you can do.' Jack leaned back against his chair, Kates concerned eyes boaring holes in him. 'I don't know if you know this, but the man who is your father is Charlie Moxon. One of the most notorious and dangerous chriminals ever in Australia. He's been on the run for years, none of us could ever get close enough to him, but we will. You wont have to worry about him anymore, he'll be locked up in a jail ceil before he knows what hit him.'

'You mean-' Josie's voice failed her from shock. She had heard of this man, and now she was being told he was her father. 'Oh god.' The relization of what she had been told sinking in, her mind going wild with worry. 'I never knew. I never knew. All this time and I didnt have the faintest clue. Whats going to happen with me now? Am I going to be thrown into jail too? I can't leave Lightning, where would-'

'Woah, woah, woah.' Jack quietly shushed her as he saw her getting worked up, knowing that wouldnt help her at all. 'Josie, you are not going to be thrown into jail. Your fathers actions wont be held against you, however, arrangments will need to be made for your care. In other words, where you will live.'

'That doesnt need to be sorted out now.' Kate interupted quickly, seeing that Josie was looking rather tired and worn out enotionally. 'Does it? I mean, shes not going anywhere until shes better, and to do that she needs her rest.'

'No, your right. Not right now.' Jack got the hint Kate wanted them to leave. Maybe it was better that way, decorum wasnt one of his strong points. 'I'm sorry if I've upset you, and I apologize. Later on though when you feel up to it, I'll need to get an offical statement off you. The information you can give will be of great help to the police.'

Josie nodded, her composure regained. She would do anything to ensure he never saw the sonlight again, and bring closur to the familes of his victims. 'Alright, I'll be happy too.' She looked at Nancy, the woman a little grey with shock at the horrible revelation. 'I am so sorry you had to hear all that."

"No Josie, its fine." Nancy assured her, horrified to think of how she much she had already been through. "You don't need to apologize." She looked at her watch, and realized that she needed to get back to the pub. "I have to go now Josie, but I'll come back and drop off some of those chocolate chip cookies you used to like when you were little."

"I'd love some of those." Her face lit up a little at their mention. "You make the best cookies I have ever tasted."

"I best be on my way to." Jack stood up, thinking it best not to mention to Josie about the visit from the social worker just yet. "You rest up now, you hear?"

"I will."

"I'll walk you guys out." Kate offered as Jack motioned to her to follow them. "I want you to get some sleep now Josie, okay?"

"Yes, Nurse Kate."

"Good girl." She closed the partition after them, then caught up to Jack and Nancy at the end of the corridor. "What's going to happen about that Jack? She's obviously been quite traumatized by that incident, and who knows what else she's had to deal with."

"That poor kid." Nancy added, her heart going out to the little darling. "She's had to live with that. I can't imagine how she could and not let it get to her. I wish there was someway we could help her."

"I agree." Jack took a seat in the office as Geoff walked in. "Geoff, you might as well come join us, save me saying what I have to say twice."

"Alright?" He replied, a hint of confusion in his voice as he put the folder he was carrying onto the table. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the arrival of a certain Kay Walsh by any chance?"

"That's exactly what this is about. I had a rather unsavoury visit already from her this morning." He folded his hands on his lap, then looked at Geoff. "Apparently, she's already organized a family from Madura to take her, and she's quite adamant that that's where she's going."

"Madura? That's almost two thousand kilometers away." Kate shook her head. "That's the least thing she needs right now, a completely new place with complete strangers."

"That's what I said, and with what Josie just revealed about seeing her father murder a person, I think that she needs more help then they can offer."

"Excuse me?" Geoff asked, quite surprised. "What did I miss?"

"I'll fill you in later." Jack replied, seeing the same person they had just been talking about walk through the front door. "And here we go again."

"I would like to speak to Miss Brown, if I may." Kay said as she walked up to them, seeing with disdain that Jack was with them, and then a person she had never wanted to see again. "Dr. Standish. Fancy seeing you here."

"The feeling is mutual." Geoff replied without any emotion at all as he stood up. "And you may not."

"Don't fool around with me, doctor." She spat the words out like they were venom. "I am here to see that child, and you have no right to interfere. I remember quite well the fuss that you created back in Sydney, and I trust that you've learnt your lesson."

Kate could see Geoff getting mad and she walked over to him, placing a hand on her arm to tell him she had it handled. "Mrs. Walsh, Josie is down for a nap, and as you can see" She pointed to a sign on the wall. "This is out of visiting hours. Now, if you want to talk to her, I suggest you come back tomorrow."

Kay could tell when she was outnumbered. "Well, I'll be here bright and early. Good afternoon." She turned and walked out of the hospital, then stopped and looked back. "You can't stop me this time, Doctor Standish."

* * *

David was doing his rounds late that night when he looked into the room where Josie was and saw Kate fast asleep in the chair beside her bed. Chuckling a little, he quietly walked in and gently woke her. "Kate, go on home. You've already been here for awhile, and you need to get some rest. I can watch Josie."

Kate rubbed her eyes wearily, then looked at David. "You know, I might just take you up on that offer."

"Now, I don't want to see you back here till lunch time." He handed her her coat. "Go on."

"Alright, thanks David."

"Night Kate." He sat down as she left the room, turning the lamp next to him on, then dimming the light so he didn't disturb the sleeping girl. Quietly he began to read a medical journal he had brought with him, glancing up every so often at the heart rate monitor that was hooked up to her. The clock ticked slowly on, passing midnight and entering into the wee hours of the morning. He continued to read his book, then looked over at Josie as she started to moan and toss around. Vaguely he could make out what she was muttering in her sleep, obviously she was having a nightmare, but he didn't know what her reaction would be if he woke her out of it. If he woke her, she might turn on him, and in her condition it was important that she didn't get too excited. It would be better to wait and let her wake up on her own.

Images of her father standing with his rifle pointed at Bethany raced through Josie's mind. She was running, running to stop her, but she knew she was going to be too late. She knew what happened next as her father went to pull the trigger and she tried to stop him. "No! No! Leave her alone! Leave her alone!" She screamed as she sat up, tears streaming out of her eyes, then she realised it was just a horrible dream. But it had been real, a living nightmare. The memories of her holding Bethany in her arms came flooding back, the way Bethany's glazed eyes had been staring at her, unblinking as she had held her lifeless body.. "No."

"Josie, Josie, its alright." David got up and wrapped his arms around her. He could already see in her fright she had torn open a wound on her arm and he didn't want her to freak out more, lest she hurt herself again. "Its okay. Its okay." He heard footsteps coming and looked up at the door to see Geoff walking in. Josie began to cry louder as she heard the door close, and he held her tighter as he fondled her hair, the girl crying for him to go away. "Sssh Josie, Its okay. It's only Geoff. We won't hurt you honey. Your safe here."

Geoff slowly walked over to David and Josie so he didn't scare he more, then he saw that she had pulled out the IV line and her arm was bleeding. "What happened David?" He quietly whispered, then placed a napkin over the wound to stem the flow, feeling her flince and pull away from him. "Josie, it's alright, we're not going to harm you."

David glanced over at Geoff, then back at Josie. "Honey, you need to calm down. Your alright, you're safe. No one can hurt you here."

"I'm sorry."Josie clung onto him for dear life as she sobbed into his shoulder, her body heaving with giant sobs as she tried to contain them. Finally she began to calm down as she felt him holding onto tightly, and she uttered one last strangled sob then her head flopped down against him as she succumbed to exhaustion. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault honey." He gently helped Geoff lay her back down, then he stroked her hair affectionately as he looked into her brown eyes. "There is nothing to apologize for."

Geoff grabbed another IV needle off the shelf and got it ready to replace the one she had pulled out, then he looked at her sympathetically. "I know it not a good way to make friends, but I've got to put this back in Josie. You managed to pull it out when you panicked."

"I know." She softly replied, then winced as he put the needle into the other arm. She felt stupid for having a nightmare, and more stupid for the two men seeing her like that. "I didn't mean to."

"It's alright, we know you didn't." David continued the stroke her hair. "What got you so riled up like that?"

"Nightmare." Josie replied, a tone of embarrassment in her voice. "Please, I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Geoff assured, then saw how late it was. "David, if you've got it handled here, I need to go and catch some sleep."

"Yeh, it's all good here." He turned to Geoff. "You go on." He looked back at Josie as Geoff left and closed the door behind him. "You need to get some sleep too honey."

She shook her head, studying him with watery eyes. "I can't sleep. Not now. I'm to scared."

"You need to. You need to rest."

"I can't."

David stared into her eyes. "Josie. Listen. I'm right here, nothing is going to happen. I'm not leaving you. Your safe here. I will protect you. Now, you need to sleep."

Josie looked at him, her body yearning for rest, but still she was frightened. "You promise you won't go till the morning?"

"I promise." He took her hand in his, pulling his chair closer to the bed so he could sit next to her. "I'm not going anywhere." Slowly he felt her beginning to relax, and he watched as she closed her eyes, the hold she had on his hand weakening as she fell asleep. He gazed at her sympathetically, his heart going out to her. For a child so young, she had the courage and grit of a lion to be able to have gotten through everything by herself for so long, now he just wished that he knew that what was going to happen to her would be for the best.

* * *

Kate woke early the next morning to the loud beeping of her alarm clock and groaned. She was so tired, but she still had a job to do. Look after Josie, and part of that consisted of looking after her rather temperamental stallion; who she could hear neighing up a storm in the paddock next to her house. Rubbing her eyes, she threw back the covers and got up, yawning loudly. Slowly she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her uniform, her hand brushing against one of her old dresses. She stopped for a moment, then pulled it out too to look at it. It was a little small for her now, but with a few adjustments, it would be perfect for Josie. Wide awake now, she quickly got dressed and walked out with the dress to the kitchen, hearing Chris stirring in the other room. Placing the dress on the table, she went over to the cupboard where she kept her sewing supplies, then sighed as she saw the sewing basket was missing. "Chris, have you seen my sewing supplies?"

"Yeh, right here." Chris walked in with the basket and placed it on the table, noticing the dress. "I had to borrow it to fix up my loose button. That dress is a bit small for you now I would think Kate."

"Haha." Kate replied as she grabbed out a needle and thread. "Yes, but it is the perfect size for Josie. She needs something to wear other then a hospital gown and I don't need it anyway. Do you think she'll like it?"

"I'm sure she'll love it." She grabbed the kettle and filled it up with water from the tap. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please."

"So." Chris sat down beside her after she had put the kettle on the stove to boil. "What do you make of this Walsh woman?"

"Not much." She bit her lip as she pricked her thumb with the needle, then grabbed a button from the box to replace the missing one. "I honestly don't think very much of her. She's unfriendly, arrogant and not one I would pick to work with children. If she's this horrible with adults, I wonder what she'll be like with Josie."

"Yeh, I was thinking the same thing." She handed Kate the scissors. "Josie's already had enough problems without this woman adding to them, with what Jack and Geoff told me. She needs to be able to trust people, and she's not going to like her."

"Especially with where she's planning on putting her. This woman already has people lined up to take her without even meeting Josie first to see if she is even suitable."

"Oh." Chris wasn't following. "What?"

Kate put the dress down for a moment and looked at her. "There is a couple in Madura who want her apparently."

"That's nearly a thousand kilometers away."

"That's what I thought." She picked up her needle again to finish attaching the button. "I wish there was some way that she could stay around here, so we could at least keep an eye on her, but I don't think Mrs. Walsh is going to like that suggestion very much."

"I bet not." She got up as the kettle boiled and poured them a cup of coffee each. "I guess we'll just have to see how things turn out."

David was going over Josie's blood results at the desk mid morning as he heard the front door open, putting them down to see who it was. "I said I didn't want to see you till lunch."

"Can't keep me from the best job in the world." Kate replied as she walked over to him. "How was Josie last night?"

"She had a panic attack, caused by a nightmare. She pulled out her IV line in her fright, but she didn't want to talk about it. She seemed pretty shaken up by whatever it was."

"I might have an idea." She figured out the correlation between what Josie had said yesterday and the panic attack. "Josie told us about a woman she knew a few years back. Her father murdered her before Josie's eyes. Josie held her as she died."

"That explains it then." He mused, then glanced at the clock. "We better go and see how she is before that woman turns up."

"Agreed." Kate followed him to the room where Josie was, hiding the bag with the dress in it behind her back. Geoff was in with her checking how the wounds were healing as she walked in. "Morning Josie, morning Geoff."

"Oh, hi Kate." Geoff looked up at her, seeing something behind her back. "What have you got there Kate?"

"Something for Josie."

"Something for me?" Josie asked, her curiosity perked up. "What?"

Kate handed her the package. "Open it up and you'll find out."

Josie quickly opened the bag and gasped as she saw the red calico dress inside. It had white lace trim on the collar and sleeves, and it was decorated with cute little flowers all over it. She sat there in amazement as tears began to well in her eyes, her mouth open as she stared at it. For the first time she could remember, she was utterly lost for words.

"Don't you like it?" Kate asked, a little surprised that the girl was getting teary over a dress, but then she remembered that she probably had never received a gift before.

"I love it." She finally found her voice as she pulled it out of the bag and hugged it against her chest. "I've never had a dress like it before. It's gorgeous. Where did you get it?"

"I made it." Kate saw Geoff raise his eyebrows and she grinned at him. "A long time ago. I was still in school when I wore that."

"Then you are old."

"I think I've kept my age pretty well." She laughed, seeing the looks on both David and Geoff's faces. "I'm glad you like it."

"Can I put it on?" Josie asked, a hint of pleading in her voice. She was just itching to get into such a pretty dress. "Please?"

"Sure sweetie, in a moment. When they've finished checking you over."

"All done here." Geoff finished writing on her report, then patted her shoulder gently. "We'll leave you to it. You be good for Kate, you hear?"

"I'm always good." She looked at him cheekly, a glint in her eye. "It's Kate you need to watch. She's going to spoil me."

"You deserve it." Kate chuckled as the men walked out, then she helped Josie sit up and change into the red dress. 'There you go." She smiled at Josie as she took a step back to observe how the dress fitted her. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks." Josie could feel herself blushing a little. She had never been told she was gorgeous before, and it made her feel good to hear it. Fondly she touched the material with her fingers, her face lighting up. "It's so pretty. I've never been given something so nice."

"You deserve it Josie." Kate assured, then sat down beside her. "Have you had breakfast?"

Josie nodded, still in shock to receive such a nice present. "Yep. It was pretty good."

"I've never heard hospital food called "good" before."

"That's because most people don't know what it's like to be hungry." She glanced down at her hands, studying the IV line that was in her arm so she didn't have to look at Kate. "A lot of people take things for granted if they've never gone without it. I know most people hate hospitals, but I'm grateful to be here. I've got a roof over my head, food in my stomach, a comfortable bed and no fear of being hurt by my father. I have a lot to be thankful for."

Kate nodded, lost in thought with what the girl said. Even with all the tests, the needles and the poking and prodding she had received while she had been here, the girl was still grateful for it all. Truly she was a remarkable child. "Would you like me to brush your hair for you and braid it?"

"Sure." Josie smiled, her favorite thing was getting her hair brushed. "Do you know a plait called The Milkmaid's Braid?"

"I know that one." She grabbed the brush from the table next to her, then began to part the girls hair. "My sister and I would do it all the time. She had such long hair, longer then yours even. It was always getting in the way, so we used to keep it up in that."

"Sara taught me how to do it before she left." She closed her eyes, relaxing as she felt Kate doing the braid. "We used to do everything together."

Kate grabbed a hairband as she finished off the first braid, then decided to see how much more Josie would reveal about her life with her sister before she had left. "Like what?"

"Hunting, exploring, cooking. Things like that." Josie chuckled as she remembered one time that their little cooking lesson went wrong. "A couple of weeks before she left, we went out to look for wild edibles to eat when we came across this rabbit in the bush. It was just sitting there, and we didn't have the rifle with us, so Sara snuck up behind it as quietly as she could and grabbed it by the ears just as it started to run."

"What happened then?"

"The rabbit was rather cranky that had been caught." She giggled again as she recalled what had happened then. "He put up a fight, and since they were on the side of a hill, Sara lost her footing and rolled down to the bottom. I ran down after her, and found her in an old dam. She was covered in mud from head to toe, but when she stood up, she was still holding the rabbit. It made the best stew I ever tasted that night, and probably due to the fact that I had so much fun laughing at Sara." She was silent for a moment, then turned serious. "I do miss the times I had with her. I wish she hadn't left me like she did. It just wasn't fair."

"No, it wasn't." Kate agreed with her. She had her own opinion about Sara leaving her sister with her father like she did, but decided against speaking them to her. Obviously Josie still held Sara in high regard. She glanced down at her watch as she tied off the other braid, seeing that visiting hours had commenced. She knew what that meant. Mrs. Walsh would be arriving any minute. It was best that she tell her she was coming, so that she was prepared. "Josie, there is a woman coming to see you shortly. Her name is Mrs. Walsh. She's from the government come to discuss what we're going to do with you, seeing as you can't go back to your father."

Josie turned quiet thoughtful as she fiddled with her hands, twisting a loose thread she had pulled off the sheets through her fingers, a little quirk she did whenever she was in deep thought.

"I expected as much. Is she nice?

"I haven't seen her much." She replied, not wanting to say something that would make Josie prejudge the woman. She could make up her own mind about her, without her input. "But I guess she's average." She could hear two sets of footsteps coming up the corridor, and looked out the window. Geoff was escorting the woman to Josie's room. She groaned inwardly as she saw the look on both of their faces, but didn't convey her scepticism to the girl.

Geoff opened the door for Kay, then walked up and stood beside Josie's bed. "Josie, this lady here is from-"

Kay cut him off. "I'm Mrs. Walsh from the Department of Child Services. I'm the one that's taking care of your situation, Miss Brown."

Josie caught onto the tone in the woman's voice, and the way she had been rude to Geoff. She looked at the woman, starting to dislike her already. "Mrs. Walsh, I prefer to be called just Josie. So, would you please call me that instead?"

"I'll call you what I like, Miss Brown." She snapped, disgusted with the girls impertianace. These country folk raised their kids with no manners at all, so it wasn't surprising that she backchatted. "If you two would leave, I'd like to talk to the child now thank you."

Kate saw the look on Josie and Geoff's faces, and motioned with her eyes for him to go, letting him know she had it all under control. It wouldn't do them any good for him to get angry with the woman. "I need to stay sorry. She's under doctors orders to not get excited in anyway and I need to make sure that she doesn't."

"Thanks Kate." Josie whispered to her as Geoff walked out. She could see he was angry about something, and that combined with the nervous feeling she had about the woman was making her anxious. She was glad that Kate was with her, she didn't have to be alone.

Kay sat down and placed her briefcase on her lap, then opened it up and pulled out a bunch of papers to start her interrogation. "So, Miss Brown. Tell me about yourself. For starters, how old are you?"

"I'm fourteen." She began to play around with the string again, to give her fingers something to do, trying to suppress her nervousness. "My birthday is in March. The twenty-fifth."

"Good." She wrote the girls birthday down on the form. "Now, where have you lived? Before here?"

"Um?" Josie mumbled, trying to think. "I don't remember. My father moved me around a lot, we didn't really stay in one place too long. This has always been the place he's brought me back to though."

"Just tell me in what towns and for how long."

"I'm getting to that." She growled back, trying to recall the places they had been at. "Mostly we have been around here, but we were in Coober Pedy for a spell when I was about eight. Then we went up to Mildura for about a year when I was ten. We were in Lightning Ridge for a time too. Other then that, we were on the road mostly, my father trying to keep the cops off his tail."

"And what did you and him do for a living?"

"I was a station hand for one of his mates in Mildura." She continued the play with the string, not wanting to look at the stern woman. "His mate would pay my father for my work. When we came back here, I would go hunting for dingos, rabbits and kangaroos for the skins. He would make me tan them, then he'd sell them to another guy in exchange for booze."

"And do you know any of their names?"

"No. Sorry."

Kay looked at her sternly, her beady eyes narrowing. "Don't know, or won't tell."

"I DON'T KNOW!" Josie was starting to get annoyed by the woman's questions, and even more so by the tone of voice she was using. "They were a bunch of druggos, gangsters and murders! They only had names like "Heifer" or "Rabbit" so that if someone left the gang they couldn't tell the police their real names. I never even knew what my father's real name was till yesterday!" She was practically yelling by now. "And don't even think I'm protecting them! If I could I would have every single one of those slugs behind bars. They and my father made my life a misery for longer then I care to think about."

"I can see someone has a temper problem too." She remarked, just loud enough for Josie to hear. This was exactly not what she had wanted in the girl, she had been hoping that she would be a shrinking violet, easy to intimidate, but the child definitely wasn't that. "Oh, so you didn't know that your father was one of the most notorious killers Australia has ever had?"

"No, I didn't!" Josie felt Kate putting her hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down. "I never want to see that man ever again! He deserves to be locked up and the key thrown away. That man took my childhood from me, and I hate him."

"So, what did he used to do to you?"

Josie finally looked up at the woman, her eyes flashing angrily. She was at her breaking point. She hadn't minded Jack, Kate or the doctors asking questions, because they never pushed her like this woman was, but she had asked one question too many. "THAT'S ENOUGH! I-"

"Hey, hey, hey." Kate interrupted as Josie started to yell, the noise drifting down the hallway to where David was checking another patient. "Josie, calm down."

David heard Josie yelling and put the clipboard he was holding back onto the end of the patient's bed, then turned and jogged down to Josie's room. "What's going on in here?"

"Someone has a behaviour problem obviously." Kay glared at Josie, then hurriedly began to write again on the paper.

"I think it's best if you leave now."

"But I haven't finished! You-"

"Leave. Now." David walked over to her, closed her briefcase and handed it to her. He looked at her, determination written on his face. He stared her down until she finally relented and walked out without another word. Shaking his head, he turned around and looked at Josie and Kate. "What happened with her?"

"She asked one to many questions." Josie replied, her temper smoldering. "I'm sorry I went off, I know I need to rest, but she got me so mad."

"Yes, well, she is rather maddening." Kate watched Kay leave through the window, the woman marching out like she was about to go win World War 1 by herself. "I did try and calm her down David."

"At least you didn't pull the IV line out this time." He checked her heart rate, not surprisingly it was high. "But you need to have a nap now after that excitement."

"Yeh, I know." She sighed as she laid back against the pillow. "I'll take a nap."

"Alright, I'll be back to check on you later." Kate smiled at her, then followed David out of the room. Going to the other side of the hallway, she slumped against the wall and heaved a giant sigh. "That went about as well as I expected. What's this about her pulling out her IV?"

"Last night, she had a panic attack brought on by her nightmare and she managed to get it out when she was thrashing about." He looked at his watch, remembering his schedule. "I need to get back to the base, I want to have a talk to Geoff about that woman. You fine here Kate?"

"Sure. I'll see you whenever you get back." She stayed resting against the wall as David left, thinking hard about what had just happened with the social worker woman. She could feel that there was trouble ahead, for all of them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Hi all! So, thankfully, my internet is working for the moment, and I've been able to upload this new chapter! I have a couple more chapters of this story typed up in my files, so I'll put them up soon too (next few weeks) but after that I don't know if I'll be continuing. I probably will, it just depends if my inclination to write this fanfic returns from the black hole...**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

It was late at night when Geoff finally finished his paperwork at the base. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, then yawned as he looked at the clock. It had been a long day, even longer since he had put off his paperwork to investigate the social worker that had come to look after Josie's case. Nothing of significance had come of it yet, but he was certain if he gave it enough time, he would find out what was really going on. Something just didn't sit right with him about the whole way the woman was handling the case, and her attitude was less then desirable. David had told him what had happened when the woman had spoken to Josie and he was kicking himself that he hadn't been there to stop her.

"Lost in thought are you?" Kate asked as she stuck her head in around the doorframe, seeing how tired and out-of-sorts he looked. "Long day?"

"Mmmm." He mumbled as she sat down across the table from him, and he looked up at her from where he was resting his head on his arms on the table. "I guess you could say that. How's Josie?"

"Sleeping." She put her head down on her arms, matching Geoff and looking into his eyes. "Tom's staying with her. He wants us to get some rest."

"For once I agree with him." He yawned again. "I don't think I even have the energy to walk home, let alone drive."

"I've already thought about that. Chris and David put a stretcher in the office at the hospital for you. All you have to do is get there, and it's nighty nighty Geoff." She saw his unamused look, then she glanced down at a paper on his desk. Her curiosity aroused, she picked it up and began to read it. "What's this?"

"A letter to the department regarding Mrs. Walsh." He took the letter off her. "That's confidential."

"Confidential enough for you to leave it lying around on the table?"

"Mmmm."

"Look, Geoff. I know you don't like that woman, neither do I, but aren't you getting involved where you shouldn't be?" Kate asked, a little concerned about the letter's content. "She's only doing her job."

Geoff shook his head. "Kate, when I was in Sydney, there was quite a few kids coming into my clinic with unusual injuries. Bruises, cracked ribs, broken noses. They were all foster kids, and they all had been placed into homes by that exact woman. It took me awhile to figure it all out, but that woman places kids into homes where they get abused."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain." He replied adimatly, still resting his head on his arms. "There were two girls that came to me while I was there. Both of them had been been beaten, but the man that came with them said they had both fallen down the stairs. He had been forced to bring them to me when the school contacted the police about it, and I figured out that he was the one beating them. I tried to get them taken out of his care, but I was too late. Both girls went missing the next week, and were never seen since."

Kate raised her eyebrows at what he had revealed. "Do you think that if Josie goes with whoever Kay has lined up, she could be in danger?"

"I don't know." He sighed. It definitely was a hard one. "With what I've seen, there has to be something going on, something bigger that no one knows about. Is it normal that in one month, twelve girls come to you, all from different foster carers, with the same type of injuries? Coincidental? No."

"I see what you mean." She agreed. It wasn't coincidental. "What are you going to do about it?"

"First, I'm starting with this letter." Geoff held it up, then put it back on the table. "Next, I'm going to finish calling around a few of my friends in higher places and get them to look into the matter. If we can get the names of the people that are supposed to be taking her, they can check them out too. Then, if there is anything come of it, we have our answers by then."

"How long do you think that will take?"

"Hard to say really. Two, maybe three weeks?"

"Well, how much time do we have until we can't keep Josie here any longer?"

"About four." He sat up and leaned back against the chair. "Her wounds will take a long time to heal up properly, especially the ones on her legs. And she'll need some physiotherapy after that time to regain the muscle wastage. Hopefully she won't be injured permanently, the wire did do considerable damage to the tendons in her right leg, although I do expect in time she'll recover fully."

"Well, that doesn't leave us much time then, does it?" Kate asked, her tone conveying the severity of the situation. "Let's hope that we can figure it out before it's too late."

* * *

Kay was sitting on her bed in the pub that night, listening to the noises wafting up from below, trying to finish writing up her report. Finally she got so fed up with it that she got up and slammed the door shut with a bang. She hated country towns, but it would be worth her slight discomfort if she could pull this little venture of hers off. She heard her phone ringing in her bag under her bed and hurriedly got it out. She had been expecting this call.

"Hello there Eagle. I was expecting to hear from you sooner… Oh… I see…. No…. They don't suspect anything….. Good…. Very good….. When will the transaction take place? No… That's not going to work…. The kid is injured… No, I don't know how bad, but she had IV lines and bandages all over her…. Her temper hasn't been affected any though, I can assure you…. Yes, I'm trying to be nice… I know that we need to pull this off Eagle…. Don't remind me…. Look, I'll send through everything I wrote down today…. You'll find it rather interesting…. No, I'm not being overbearing… Yes, I remember what happened last time…. The only thing you need to be concerned about is hiding ort tracks… We can't have them finding out what's going on…. Leave the Doctor to me…. I know this man… We might have to change plans though…. I don't think that they will let her leave without seeing her "adoptive parents"... Is it possible for you and Owl to get up here? Thursday? Perfect… Remember, you guys are from Madura…. That's what I've told them…. See you when you get here…. Bye…."

As Kay pushed the end call button, and evil smirk began to form on the corners of her lips. This was so easy…

* * *

Kate woke up the next morning as sunlight began to shine on her face through the window of the hallway, through the open door of Josie's room. She yawned softly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then she looked over at Josie. The girl was still sleeping soundly, her face showing a peaceful expression. She rubbed her eyes again, then got up to go and check on Geoff and Tom. She had sent Tom to bed shortly after two and had watched Josie for the remainder of the night, catching a few winks herself.

Quietly she got up and straightened out her blue nurses uniform, then gently checked the child's pulse and breathing rate. Josie didn't even stir so much as a wink. She wrote down her observations on the chart at the end of the bed, then grabbed another bag of fluid and replaced the empty drip. She put the empty bag into the bin, then slipped out of the room to go and wake Geoff up. She slowly walked into the office where she had set the stretchers up and went over to him. Geoff was still sound asleep, snoring softly. She hated to wake him, but he needed to get ready for his shift. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she began to shake him gently. "Geoff, Geoff, wake up."

"Whaaaaat?" Geoff complained as he heard Kate talking to him. He rolled over away from her, trying to get back to sleep. "Go away. It's not morning yet."

"Sorry to break it to you Geoff, but it is." She shook him again. "Come on, wake up."

"Yeh, yeh, yeh, I'm awake." He mumbled, then sat up. "How did Josie sleep?"

"Like a log. She didn't even stir when I checked her pulse and changed the drip. She didn't wake up at all while I was watching her."

"That's good then." He swung his legs over the side of the stretcher, then yawned deeply. "She needs a long sleep."

"Like someone else I know." Kate teased as she rubbed his shoulder. "You need to go to bed early tonight. Nurse's orders."

Geoff chuckled. He liked it when Kate showed concern for him. "Yes mam. Now, If you'll excuse me, I need to go get ready for my rounds."

"Alright, doctor." She cheekly replied. "I'll see you around."

"Yep. I'll be by to check on Josie shortly."

Kate smiled at him as she quickly exited, grabbing a tray of breakfast for Josie as she walked back to the girls room. Quietly, the hospital began to come to life, patients waking and the nurses tending to them before the doctors started their rounds, but still Josie slept soundly on. Finally, around eight, she saw the girl starting to stir. "Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm ready to go and round up cattle." Josie mumbled as she opened her eyes, yawning tiredly. She yawned again, then tried to stretch her leg and arms out, but a flash of pain wracked through her body. "Ouch."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She told Josie as the girl yelped. "It's going to be awhile before you can do that again."

"Oh, yeah. The stitches."

"Yes Josie. Your body has to heal, and moving around isn't going to help with that any."

"I know, I know." She yawned again with boredom. "I'm just so sick of doing nothing already. I should be out with Lightning. How is he anyway?"

"Eating like a horse." Kate joked as she got Josie's breakfast ready for her. "He's making himself right at home at my place. Made a couple lady friends too."

Josie blushed slightly at that. Lightning was a stallion, and sometimes he did like to spend time with the mares. "I'm guessing that there could be some foals on the way come next year."

"I'm thinking that too." She grabbed a spoonful of the cereal and gave it to Josie, then quickly glanced up to see if the drip needed to be replaced again. "Josie, I need to thank you for what you did for me the other day. You saved my life."

"Kate, there is no need to thank me." Josie replied with sincerity as the nurse began to feed her her breakfast, so that she didn't move her arms to feed herself. "I was to one who got you into that anyway."

"But throwing yourself in front of that gun like the way you did." She was still astounded that the girl had done that for her. "You were so brave."

"I didn't feel brave." Her tone wavering. "I was so terrified Kate, but when I saw him backing you up like that, I had to do something. I should never have gotten you all involved in this, and now with this woman from the department causing more trouble." Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of what to say next. "I saw the way Dr. Standish was with her, the way he acted. I've caused a problem for you all by her having to come here."

"Josie, it's not your fault that woman is nasty. Some people are just like that. The department was the one who sent her, there's nothing we can do about that."

"Where is she planning on sending me anyway?"

Kate knew the answer, but she didn't want to tell the child. How had she figured it out so quickly? Then again, Josie knew more then she let on. "I think it's best if she tells you that."

"Oh." Josie looked down at the blankest she was covered in. "I take it that it's nowhere around here, judging by your answer."

"I'm afraid so."

"What's going to happen to Lightning then? Can he come with me?" She began to get a little distraught at the thought of being separated from her stallion. "I can't be taken away from him. He's all I have. I'm not going to leave him."

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it." Kate said gently, trying to sooth her a little. "You can ask her about that later, but right now, you need to finish off your breakfast."

Josie closed her mouth firmly as Kate tried to give her another mouthful of cereal. She looked at her with a stern expression on her face, until the nurse finally gave in and took the spoon away. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat it." Geoff remarked as he walked into the room, seeing Josie giving Kate trouble. "Doctor's orders."

"Nope. I'm not hungry."

Kate sighed exasperatedly. Josie could be rather hard to handle when the mood took her. "Josie, I know your cranky, but you need to finish your food. Your not going to get any better otherwise."

"Still not hungry."

Geoff rolled his eyes as he checked the girl's pulse. Obviously the girl's stubbornness came from her rather horrible father. "Well, do I need to get Dr. Ratcliffe in here to make you eat your breakfast?"

"No one is going to make me eat if I don't want to." Josie crossed her arms in front of her, something she did when she got mad. "And I don't want to."

"Alright, I guess I'm going to go and get him." He put the clipboard down, then motioned for Kate to come with him. "One way or the other, you have to eat your food."

Josie growled in her throat as they left her room. One thing she hated almost as much as her father was being told what to do. If they were planning on separating her from Lightning, she just refused to get better. No way on earth was she going to let them take her from him, even if it meant starving herself. Lightning was the only thing that mattered to her. He was her best friend and companion, and she wasn't going to let anyone get between that.

"I hear you don't want your breakfast." David said as he walked into the girls room and took a seat beside her bed. "Josie, refusing to eat isnt going to help with your recovery. Now." He grabbed a spoonful of the cereal out of the bowl. "I'm not asking you to eat. I'm telling you."

Josie glared at him for a few moments, neither of them backing down, then finally she gave in and opened her mouth for the food. "You lot are so persistent."

"That's our job." He replied, a little hint of amusement on the corners of his mouth as the girl continued to glare at him. "Now, let's finish this off, shall we?"

* * *

Kay looked around the little town from the balcony of the pub the next morning as it began to come to life. People were opening their shops, cars were on the road and she could smell breakfast cooking in the pub's kitchen. As she looked over at the RFDS base, she made a small scowl of resentment. That Standish was the only problem in her well thought out plan, but every problem had a solution, didn't it?

Turning around, she walked back into her room and finished doing her hair and putting her makeup on. When she finished, she grabbed her bag and briefcase, then headed downstairs to order her meal. "Good morning."

"Morning." Nancy replied as she began to set the pub up for the days business, surprised by the tone of pleasantry in the woman's voice. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Bacon and eggs please." She took a seat at a vacant table, then placed her bag underneath her chair. "I apologize for my rudeness the last couple of days. I received some bad news and I took it out on others. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I hope that everything is alright."

"It will be, in time."

"I'll go get your breakfast. It won't take long."

"I'd appreciate that." Kay replied as the woman left, then she frowned. She hated to apologize to anyone, but if it meant that she earned their trust and got the girl, it would be well worth it in the end. She tapped her fingers on the tabletop while she waited, thinking about her next course of action. If they were going to pull off this little venture of theirs, she needed to get that annoying doctor off her case. To do that, she needed to earn their trust, and that meant apologizing. Oh, the humiliation. She rubbed her forehead, thinking of how much humble pie she was going to have to eat. It was going to hurt, but she had to pretend to be nice to earn their trust, including Josie's. The daughter of the most notorious criminal of the decade would be worth the trouble.

Nancy soon returned with the woman's order and placed it on the table. "Here is your meal, Mrs. Walsh."

"Just call me Kay." She faked a smile, then got an idea. This woman might have some useful information about the child. "Would you like to join me?" She motioned to the empty seat across from her. "I haven't had much of a chance to get acquainted with the people around here yet."

"I'd love to." Nancy sat down, her mind boggling with questions. "What's going to happen with the girl?"

"Oh, so you know Josephine Brown then?"

"Well, not personally. I did have a little bit to do with her when she was younger, before her sister took off for Sydney."

Kay's eyebrows raised at that. She didn't know that Josie had a sister. It would throw a spanner in the works if she did. She had to make sure that her sister didn't find out about Josie, or it would ruin the hole operation. "I wasn't told she had a sister."

"She does. Sara is her name." Nancy tried to remember what else she knew about the girl. It would help Josie to maybe get into contact with her. "She took off when Josie was six with her boyfriend to Sydney. No one has seen or heard of her since."

"I might try and track her down then." She lied, having absolutely no intention of doing as such. "It would be worth a try, even though I already have a couple lined up to take care of her. They're arriving from Madura on Thursday."

"Do you know them well?"

"Yes. Actually, they're friends of mine. I used to go to school with them." She finished eating her breakfast and wiped her face. "Well, I must be off. I need to go and discuss a few things with the doctors. It was nice talking to you Mrs. Buckly."

"Oh, just call me Nancy." She stood up and grabbed the empty plate. "We should have tea together sometime. I'd like to get better acquainted with you before you leave."

"Sure. I'll see if I can slip it into my busy schedule. Goodbye." It was time to eat humble pie, and a huge slice. She grabbed her things and walked out of the pub onto the street and looked around, then jogged over to the RFDS base. Opening the door, she went in.

"Can I help you?" DJ asked from his chair at the radio desk, seeing that the woman looked a little lost.

"Ah, yes." Kay followed the voice and walked into the other room. "I'm looking for either Dr. Standish or Dr. Ratcliffe. Are they here?"

"Not at the moment sorry." He leaned back in his chair. So this was the woman that had Kate and Geoff so riled up. They were certainly right about her description. Big glasses, small beady eyes. "I believe they are over at the hospital doing their rounds. You might catch them over there."

"Alright. I'll go over there. Thank you for your time."

"My pleasure." He mumbled after she had left, then jumped up and ran over to the phone, dialling the hospital. "Ah Kate. Listen I've just had a visit from you know who. You better warn Geoff and David, she's headed in your direction…"

* * *

David had just finished getting Josie to eat her breakfast when he heard Kate coming into the room. "Look who finally finished her breakfast."

Josie rolled her eyes. "I didn't have much of a choice."

Kate ignored Josie's comment. She had more important things to worry about other then Josie getting mad because David forced her to eat her food. "David, can I have a word with you? Outside?"

"Of course." He put the empty plate aside and got up, following her into the corridor. "What's the matter?"

"Dj's just been on the phone." She explained as they walked back up to the main office. "Kay's on her way over here."

"Delightful." He groaned with irritation. "And just when I thought it was going to be a glorious day."

"My thoughts exactly." Geoff added as he looked up from the letter he was writing. "I'm about as delighted about it as I am to get a tetanus shot."

"I don't think she should see Josie." Kate interjected. "It wasn't good yesterday for her to get so worked up. It took ages for her heart rate to become stable again, and her body is still fighting the infection she's got from the barbed wire and star picket."

"I agree with you Kate." He folded his hands on his lap as he finished the letter off and leaned back in his chair. "I don't want her going anywhere near Josie."

"So we tell her Josie isn't up for visitors?" David questioned, concerned about what another visit might do.

"That's exactly what we are going to say."

Kate looked out the window and saw the woman walking up the footpath. "Well, you have your perfect chance right now."

"Good morning folks." Kay remarked, surprisingly pleasant as she walked into the hospital. "It's a fine day today, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Geoff replied, wondering what on earth she was playing around with. The woman had never been so nice in her entire life. "Look, Mrs. Walsh. After yesterday-"

"I'm not here to see the kid, if that's what your about to ask me." She interrupted, hating what she had to say next. "I came here to apologize for the way I've been acting since I've arrived. I received some bad news that caused me to act out of sorts and I'm sorry."

Geoff didn't quite know what to say. He had never heard her apologize ever either. She was acting too nice, there had to be a reason behind her sudden change of attitude. "Apology accepted."

"I hope that we can put the last couple days behind us, and start over." She extended her hand forward in friendship. "Mainly, with the conversation I should have first started with when I arrived, about her health."

"Why, yes." He shook her hand, choosing to go along with it all, but still being cautious. This changed nothing and the look he shot in Kate and David's direction told them that. "Have a seat."

"Thankyou." Kay sat down, then opened her case and pulled out her papers. "I spoke to the Sargent when I arrived, and he told me what has gone on mostly, but I would still like to ask you three some questions, seeing as you were among the first to come into contact with her again." She got out her pen, ready to write down their answers. "Now, first I would like to ask how you came to meet Josie."

"We were holding a clinic on the Dallyworth Station, about a couple hours away from here and we were just about to leave when she met us at the plane. She had taken a tumble a few days previous to that and had landed on a rusty star picket, which caused a wound that got badly infected. David and I treated her as best we could on the plane, and we wanted to bring her back with us to the hospital for further treatment, but she refused."

"Why did she refuse?"

"Her father." David took the conversation over. "She said that if she came with us, that she would be putting us all in danger and she didn't want that. She just wanted us to fix her leg and leave it at that, so we followed her wishes and let her go. She planned to come into town a couple of days later if she could get away from her father so that we could check up on her."

"And what was her condition like when she came to you?"

"Critical." Geoff continued after David had finished. "She had a high fever, rapid pulse, shallow breathing and her leg was severely infected. From her appearance, she also looked malnourished."

"I saw bruises on her too." Kate added. "I don't think either Dr. Standish, Dr. Ratcliffe or Dr. Callaghan saw them on their first observation, but she had bruises on her arm that she tried to hide."

"So, he was beating her?" Kay asked, writing everything down.

"Yes, we believed so. That's why we had our Sargent contact the authorities about the situation. That's when we found out that her father, Charlie Moxon, had been going around under the false name of Gill Brown." Geoff watched what she was writing carefully, looking for anything out of the ordinary or anything that wasn't true. "Of course, once we learned that, we became very concerned for her safety."

"With reason." She paused writing for a moment. "How did she come to be in hospital then if she was worried her father wouldn't let her leave?"

Geoff turned to Kate. "Would you like to answer this?"

"Alright." Kate nodded, the took a deep breath. "Josie was meant to come into town Wednesday, and we were on a callout to a vehicle accident. As we were driving back, David hit something that ran out in front of us. It was Josie's horse, but Josie was nowhere to be seen. Dr. Randell, who was with us at the time was the one to spot gunshot wounds on the horse, and we were worried that something had happened to the girl. Our Sergeant got a search party organized, and since it was going to take too long by car, and the plane wasn't ready to go up again as it was being refuelled, I offered to go across country on the horse. When I arrived at the house they lived in, I found a puddle on blood on the ground outside the coral and I followed it inside. Josie had been tied up hand and foot with rusty barbed wire and was in a very bad way. I radioed the team, then started to get her free. While I was doing that, unaware to me at the time, Charlie was on his way back to the shack. He had gone after the horse but had lost him and was coming back. I was untangling the girl's legs when he came in and held me a gunpoint. He was about to shoot me when Josie managed to get up and wrestle the rifle from him, getting herself shot in the process. Josie fired a shot at him, and he fled. I tended to her as best I could until the others arrived, and we got her back to the plane and here to the hospital to receive treatment."

Kay nodded as she finished writing what the nurse had said down. "When you went to the house, what was the state of the inside?"

"Despicable. There was broken glass all over the floor, empty beer and whisky cans everywhere. I didn't take much more notice, as I was more worried about finding the girl, but it wasn't a place I would chose to live in, let alone raise a child."

"Alright, thank you Sister Wellings." She turned to Geoff and David. "Now, what is the child's present medical condition like?"

"Currently, she is stabilized." Geoff replied, grabbing Josie's medical file from the filing cabinet under his desk. "She is on an antibiotic drip for the infection, which seems to be under control, and is on medication for the pain."

"What is her diagnosis, other then the infection caused by the injuries she sustained?"

"Malnourishment and critical anaemia. She is severely underweight, as she weighs barely thirty kilos, a result of being starved. She is also on blood replacement therapy to help raise her iron and B12 levels, as well as to replace the blood she lost as a result of the wire. We still have more tests to do on her, to make sure that there isn't anything else going on, but we will wait until she is in a better position before we do that."

"What is her expected recovery prognosis?"

"In time, with the right medication and diet, a full recovery is on the cards. It's going to be quite a few weeks, about four at the earliest before she is strong enough to go anywhere, but its going to take careful nursing to get her to where she should be at. She also is going to need physiotherapy for a time as well, to help regain the use of the muscles that were damaged by the wire." Geoff handed her the medical file. "It's all written down in there."

"Thank you." She began to read the reports.

Kate looked at Geoff, then back at Kay, seeing that he had it all under control. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my patients."

"Certainly, Sister." Kay turned to Kate as the nurse went to leave. "I apologize again for what happened yesterday. It wasn't my intention at all to upset the child."

"I understand. I'll be seeing you around."

"You too." She replied as the nurse left, then turned back to the medical records. "Was there any other signs of abuse that you found in your examination of the girl?"

David grabbed out the x-ray's from another folder and motioned for her to come over to the light box to view them, noticing Geoff reading the ladies documents as she walked over to him. "The bruising around her lungs indicates that she's been kicked in the chest, and rather hard too. She's lucky not to have cracked or broken ribs in the equation too. In time the bruising will go down, but we can't tell till then if the lungs have been permanently damaged."

"I can see that." She agreed, looking at the pictures. "Was there anything else?"

"She has scars on her back from being whipped with either a belt or a stockwhip, maybe both. She did confess to that she was being beaten by him, so it does coincide with what we found, and she does have a fear of men too."

"Sounds like she's had it pretty rough." Kay remarked as she sat back down in the chair, sort of feeling sorry for the girl, but knowing that she couldn't let that get in the way of what had been planned to do with her. "Would it be alright with you if I came back later, say tomorrow to talk to the girl again?"

"I'm really not-"

"I can give you my word what happened yesterday won't happen again." She quickly interrupted him. "If it would make you feel better, you can stay in there and at the slightest hint of her getting excited, you can kick me out."

"Hmmm." Geoff contemplated her suggestion for a moment. "I still am not really crash hot on the idea. She could have seriously injured herself by getting upset the way she did."

"I understand that, but the couple that are going to take her in are arriving on Thursday, and I need to have something more than just her name, age and what you've told me to tell them."

"Pardon? Thursday? This is all quite sudden." David was a little surprised at how quickly they were going to be arriving. Thursday was only a couple days away. "What's the hurry?"

Kay realized that it would seem suspicious to them, and quickly laughed his concern off. "They just want to meet her to see if their compatible to take care of her. For Josie's sake, the quicker she is in a stable home, the better it will be for her. They were the only ones to not freak out when I rang them about her, and we weren't exactly swamped in offers to take in the daughter of a criminal."

"I guess you wouldn't be." Geoff fiddled with a pen that was on his desk. On one hand, he didn't want the woman anywhere near Josie, but on the other, there was nothing really he could do until he had proof that something suspicious was going on. "Alright. You may. On one condition."

"And that would be?"

"That either myself, Dr. Ratcliffe or Dr. Callaghan is present when you do. The same goes for when this couple goes to meet her too. What are their names anyway?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. From Madura."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **I AM SO SO SORRY TO MY READERS FOR NOT UPDATING THIS STORY IN ALMOST A YEAR! Life has been kinda hetic around here these past few months and I have so many stories I need to finish. I dont know when I'll be able to finish this story but I promise I will. Even if it takes me five years! I hate having things unfinished, and so I will try and get this story finished as soon as phydically possible..**

 **A huge thankyou to those who reviewd! It means a lot!**

 **Enjoy a nice 6k word chapter!**

 **Adios!**

* * *

Kate, Geoff and Tom were quietly eating dinner together in the pub that night, thankful that they had a quiet day. No emergencies, no clinic runs, just a quiet, uneventful day. They were softly discussing among themselves about the woman from the department, and her rather quick change of behaviour had them a little puzzled. As they spoke, Kate heard the front door open, and Jack walked in, with the social worker. "Well, that's something you don't see everyday."

Geoff and Tom both followed her gaze and watched as the two of them got a table together, looking rather cozy. "I wonder what game she's up too."

"That's what I'm wondering." Tom added, sipping a beer since he was off duty till tomorrow night. "She comes in two days ago, roaring like a lion, and now is sitting around as peaceful as a lamb."

"If I know one thing, she's up to something."

"Agreed." Kate began to cut up her steak, trying to make sense of the woman's sudden attitude adjustment. "Have you had any luck yet with your investigation Geoff?"

Tom raised his eyebrows, a little confused. "So, you've joined the police force have you mate?"

"Nothing so drastic as that." Geoff assured them. "You guys couldn't live without me."

"Oh, I think we could." Kate teased, then looked at Tom. "What do you think?"

"Well, we did before you arrived."

Geoff playfully boxed him on the arm. "Watch it mate." He glanced over at the table where Kay and Jack were. "Nothing so far about her Kate."

"Can someone please enlighten me as to what is going on around here?"

"Geoff is looking into this Kay woman Tom, trying to figure out what is going on underneath."

"As you might have heard." Geoff glanced at Kate, then back at Tom. "I had a quite a few run-ins with her back in Sydney about the kinds of families she put children into. I had a rash of kids with unusual injuries coming in through my clinic, and they were all foster children, placed into homes by her. There is something going on here. People like that shouldn't even be allowed to be foster careers."

"Don't they have to go through a long process to do that?"

"Well, yes, but there is ways for them to get around it. As nasty as it seems, most careers are just in it for the money, and that's why I'm worried about who Josie is going to have to go with. As a what they would put as a "troubled" child, she would be worth a lot of money to the people who are to look after her."

"I can see why." Kate pushed her mashed potato around the the plate, not really feeling hungry. "They will just try and make her worse to get more money."

"Exactly." He finished off his dinner and wiped his mouth clean. "I'm trying to get some information on them too, but I'm still waiting for my sources to get back to me. Until then, we just need to keep our ears and eyes open."

* * *

Josie was reading quietly the next morning after breakfast, but mostly she was just sitting there, staring unblinking at the pages. In the last week, her whole life had been turned upside down, and soon it was going to be changing again. She was utterly grateful that she was no longer in her father's care, but it still worried her that he was on the run. He had managed to disappear without a trace after the incident, and no one had been able to find him. She glanced up from her book and stared out the window towards the bush. He was still out there, somewhere, and at large. He knew how to survive out there, and he had his friends that would protect him, feed him, hide him. While he was still on the loose, there was every reason to fear him suddenly turning up and causing a hell of a trouble for the entire town. She sighed as she looked down at her bandaged arms, then flexed her fingers. Maybe it was better if she was taken far, far away from here. As she was pondering her thoughts, she heard three sets of footsteps coming and listened closely, trying to discern who they were. "Great."

"Good morning, Miss Brown." Kay said as she walked into the room, Geoff and Kate coming in with her. Pulling a chair over from the wall, she sat down beside the girls bed and placed her briefcase on the table, grabbing out some papers.

"It was until you arrived." Josie muttered under her breath, less then impressed with her visit. Turning to Geoff, she looked at him determinedly. "What is she doing here again? Come for round two I presume?"

Geoff sighed at Josie's attitude, but he had expected she would be less then happy about it. To be honest, neither was he, but he was willing to play the game that Kay had started. "Josie, like it or not, this lady has been assigned by the government to place you somewhere to live."

"I didn't ask for that, thank you." She shot the words out like venom. "I can take care of myself. I have been for the last eight years."

"Yes, I'm sure you can." Kay winced as she heard the anger and hate in Josie's voice. This was going to take careful treading to earn the girls trust, if what she had planned was going to be able to be pulled off. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened the other day. I received bad news and I was out of sorts, and I wasn't thinking things through. Would you please forgive my indiscretion and we can start over?"

"Depends." Josie replied, looking at the woman with fire in her eyes. "You can start with calling me just Josie. I don't need to be reminded every single time I hear the name "brown" that I was lied to about who I really was for my entire life."

"Alright." It took a lot to swallow her pride down. She was going to let this kid have her way. "Josie it is then. Could we start over from the beginning now?"

"I guess so." She sighed, relenting. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well, Josie, maybe with you just telling me a few things about yourself. Like what your hobbies are, favorite things you like. Stuff like that. Nothing to hard to do at the moment."

"Hmmm." She saw Kate and Geoff sit down out of the corner of her eye on the other side of the bed, wondering just how much she trusted this woman. "Well, I like horse riding, swimming, drawing, reading, and playing the violin."

"You play the violin?" Kate asked, a little surprised. The girl hadn't mentioned that at all to her before. "Where did you learn how to?"

"Bethany taught me." She saw the confused look on the social workers face, and decided to explain. "She was a teacher I knew when I was younger, and she gave me lessons for a time."

Kay nodded, wondering if the woman was still around and if she might cause any trouble. "Do you know where she lives?"

"She was killed by my father." Josie replied bluntly, a stern look on her face. "And I'd rather not talk about that. I already told the Sargent, and I don't need to repeat the details."

"That's alright, you don't have to." She wrote a couple things down on the form. "Josie, the reason I came today, other then to apologize, is to let you know I have a couple that are willing to take you in. They are from Madura, and they are coming up on Thursday to meet you."

"I see. Is there anything else you can tell me about them?"

"Well, their names are Roger and Amanda Anderson. They have a farm just outside of the town and he's a teacher at the local school." She replied with the little story that they had conjured up. "They don't have any kids, but they wanted to get into foster caring."

"Anything else?"

"Not much really. They are excited to meet you though."

"And they're coming on Thursday?" Geoff asked, making a note of what the woman had said so he could check it out later.

"If all goes to plan, yes, they should be."

"Well." Josie folded her hands on her lap, still not too impressed by the arrangements. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Unfortunately, not really." Kay looked at her watch, then stood up. "I need to be on my way now, I have a meeting with the Sargent to discuss some legal matters, so I will see myself out. Have a good day Josie, and I'll be back around tomorrow."

"I thought she'd never leave." She muttered after the woman had left, much to Geoff and Kate's amusement. She looked at them as they began to laugh, wondering what the joke was. "What's so funny?"

"You." Kate replied between laughs. "The look on your face, and the way you said it. You voiced what we were both thinking."

"Well, I don't think much of her." She watched as the woman left the hospital, then picked up her book again. "I just wonder what these people are like."

* * *

Roger and his wife Amanda glanced around the little town as the bus they had arrived on pulled away down the street. They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. So this was Cooper's Crossing. Not much to look at, and so hot! Not to mention the flies that were buzzing around their heads. Finally Roger broke the silence. "I wonder where Kay is. We told her we were coming on the bus today from Broken Hill."

"I don't know." Amanda replied as she glanced around. "Well, she certainly isn't here to meet up, that's for sure."

"Come on." He picked up the bags of luggage they had. "We might as well try and find her."

"After we find the hotel and get checked into our rooms." She motioned to the building over to the left behind them. "And since that's the only one in town, I guess we can start there." She followed him over to the pub, opening the door for him since he had his hands full. The pub was vacant, obviously everyone was out. "Well, it seems like a nice little place." She walked over to the bar and rang the bell on it, while her husband placed the luggage down. No one came, so she rang the bell again. "I wonder where they all are."

"Coming! Coming!" Nacy shouted as she heard the bell from the kitchen and grabbed a clean apron as she scurried out. "Now, how can I help you?"

"We would like a room for a couple nights." Roger pulled out his wallet. "Three to be exact."

"Alright, let me see what we've got." She pulled out the chart where she wrote all the bookings down, trying to find a vacant room. "So, what brings you to town?"

"A girl." Amanda replied, finding the woman quite likeable. "We're from Madura."

"Oh, so your the couple that's going to be taking care of Josie then?"

"That's right." He replied, a little annoyed that Amanda had admitted that little tidbit of information. "I'm Roger Anderson, and this is my wife Amanda."

"Nancy Buckley." She grabbed the key for their room from in the box. "Room 9. It's just up the stairs and directly on your right. That will be a hundred dollars for the three nights."

Roger took the key and pulled a crisp bill from out of his wallet, placing it on the bench. "Thank you for your help. Would you happen to know where Kay Walsh is at the moment? She was supposed to meet us at the bus stop, but she wasn't there."

"Um, no.I can't help you there sorry. I haven't seen her since she left the pub this morning. You might try the flying doctors base across the road, she might be there."

"We'll definitely go check it out.." Amanda saw the wedding ring on the woman's finger, figuring out she was married. "Good day, Mrs. Buckley."

"You have a good day too."

Roger carried their luggage upstairs and waited while Amanda unlocked the door,then shut it with his foot after they had entered. "Seems like a nice little town here."

"Yes." Amanda agreed. "If we play our cards right, we shouldn't have any problems at all."

* * *

Josie was quietly drawing in her room two days later, humming a little song as she sketched. Drawing was one thing she loved to do, but she didn't have much of a chance to do it often. Lying in a hospital bed though with nothing to do gave her plenty time to indulge in her little hobby. She was sketching a horse galloping through a forest, his nostrils flared and his ears pricked with a young girl riding on his back. She was the girl, Lightning the horse, and there was nothing either of them loved more then a hard, fast gallop. She placed the pencil down for a moment as she looked at the picture, wondering what Lightning was up to when she heard a person coming into the room.

"I'm Dr. Chris Randell." Chris introduced herself as she walked in and grabbed the clipboard off the end of the bed. "I'm filling in for Geoff and Tom today. They have a clinic run to do out Wamigalmede way."

"Did Kate go to?" Josie asked as she sat herself up more so that she was in a better position to draw.

"Yes, I'm afraid your stuck with me." She teased, then saw the picture that Josie was working on. "That's gorgeous Josie. There's so much detail in it." She saw that the girl had even put in little specks of dirt flying up from the horse's hooves. "You have quite a talent there."

"Thanks." She blushed a little. "I do like to draw."

"Well, your very good at it." Chris encouraged, then took the books off Josie's lap. "I need to check how these wounds are healing up now, so I'll just pop it on the table till I'm finished, okay?"

"Alright." She nodded, taking another admiring look at it, then turning back to the doctor as she began to unwrap the bandages around her right leg. "How much longer until the stitches can come out? They're starting to get really itchy"

"A few more days yet honey. Its healing up nicely though, but it's going to take longer then that for it to heal properly."

Josie glanced down at her leg, and saw the patchwork of stitches she had on them. She hadn't seen just how many gashes she had, and now a new fear plagued her. "Are those scars going to go away?"

Chris could hear the worry in her voice, and that was understandable. Everytime she would look at them she was going to be reminded of what her father had done to her, and she knew how much that was going to affect the girl. "Josie, I'm not going to lie to you, but they're not going to go away overnight. In time they will fade though, and there is things that we can do to help reduce the scarring, but we can't get rid of it completely."

"I see." She replied, knowing that this was yet another thing that she would carry with her for the rest of her life. She hated the scars she already had, the ones on her back from when her father would beat her, but those she could hide. She looked down at her bandaged arms, knowing they were going to look as bad as her legs. "Just another thing I have to learn to live with I guess."

"Josie." Chris looked at the girls lowered head, knowing how awful the girl would be feeling about the new, fresh reminders of her father. "Look at me." She waited until Josie lifted her chin, then looked into her eyes. "It doesn't matter how many scars you have, or what people say. It's what you believe about yourself. You are beautiful, and no one else can say differently. Never be ashamed of your scars. They are proof that your a fighter, and that you are strong. You are gorgeous, even with them."

Josie had to look away as her eyes began to water slightly, her very soul touched by what the doctor had said "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes Josie, yes I do." She gently placed her hand under the girls chin and turned her face towards her. "It's you who has to believe."

"I do." She whispered as she wiped a tear away with her bandaged hand, her other arm still in a sling from the gunshot wound. "I do."

Chris handed her a tissue, glad to see that she had gotten the point across to the girl. One thing she had learnt in life was that she should never be ashamed of the person she was, and she knew that Josie needed to learn that lesson too. "I'll just finish checking your other leg, and then I'll let you get back to your drawing before the Anderson's arrive, alright?"

"Alright." Josie blew her nose, then looked down at her legs as Chris rewrapped her right leg, then started looking at her other one. "Will you be here with me when they come?"

"No, sorry honey. I have other patients to attend to, and then I am needed back over at the base." She checked that the stitches were still in place, relieved to see that the redness and swelling had started to go down, the wounds healing nicely, including the one caused by the rusty star picket. "But David will be here. He hasn't got much on today, so he's going to come around and stay while they are here."

Josie nodded, glad someone was going to be with her. "I do like David. For men, both he, Geoff and Tom, they are quite nice."

"Yes, they are." Chris chuckled softly at Josie's little admission. "All right Josie, you're all finished." She handed Josie back her books and drawing paper. "Geoff wants to check your arm later when he returns, so for the moment, you can sit back and relax."

"That's all I've been doing for the last eight days!" She protested a little, but in a cheeky tone. She knew she needed the rest, but she still chafed at the restriction of bed rest. "Lightning won't recognize me by the time I'm allowed out."

"I'm sure he won't forget you." She pulled the covers back up over the girls legs and waist. "You rest now, don't over do it by drawing too much."

"I don't think that is even possible." Josie replied, seeing a smirk on Chris's face as the doctor walked out. She giggled a little, then rested back against her pillow and pulled up the book so she could draw, wincing a little as she felt a pain in her arm from the gunshot wound. Quietly, she finished off the drawing of her and Lightning, gently tore the paper out of the pad and placed it on the table next to her, then wondered what to draw next. Looking through the window into the nest room, which was one of the offices, she saw a picture hanging on the wall. It was of the flying doctors, obviously their team photo. Grinning, she knew what she would draw next. It could be a little thank you present for them for their help. Slowly, stroke by stroke of her pencil, she began to start on the portraits, the time just slipping by as she focused intently on her drawing.

"How's the drawing going?" David asked as he walked in, motioning for the Anderson's to wait outside for a moment while he checked on the girl.

Josie looked up, startled, then quickly covered the picture with her hand. "Na uh ah. No peeking."

"So it's a surprise then?"

"Could be." She replied, mysteriously as she closed the pad and placed it on the table. "Don't go looking. I'll be mad if you do."

"Well, we can't have that happening, can we?" David played along with her, happy to see that the girl was in good spirits. He had grown rather fond of her in the week she had been there already. "Josie, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are outside waiting to meet you. Do you think your ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." She nodded, knowing she didn't have much of a choice. Like them or not, she had to go with them when she was better. She knew couldn't stay here forever. "Might as well get it over and down with."

Amanda heard the girl agree and walked into the room, her husband following. "Hello Josie."

"Hi."

"I brought you some flowers." She took them out from behind her back and placed them on the bed beside her. "Sorry they're a bit wilted, the heat around here doesn't do them any good."

"They're beautiful, Mrs Anderson." Josie gently stroked a purple rose with her fingers, seemingly won over already. "I don't care that they are wilted."

"Well, I'm glad you like them, and please, just call me Amanda."

"Same goes for me too." Roger agreed as he took a seat. "Just Roger will be fine."

David looked at the three of them, pleasantly surprised at how it was turning out. He had expected Josie to fly off her handle, like she had when she first met the Walsh woman, but instead she was already swooning over the flowers that she had been given. "Um, I'll just go get them a vase."

"Thank you, Dr. Ratcliffe." She took one last whiff of the flowers, then let him take them to go and give them some water, knowing he would be back in a jiffy. "You know, this the first time anyone has ever given me flowers."

"Well, you deserve some Josie." Amanda sat down beside Roger. "Now Josie, we don't want you to feel that we're throwing ourselves at you. We want to get to know you properly before you come and move with us, as I'm sure you're aware that we are going to be your foster parents."

"Yes, Mrs. Walsh did tell me that you are going to be my careers."

"We're going to be here for three days Josie, but then we have to go back home, but we do want to get to know you a bit before we leave." Roger added, annoyed at just how much work they were going to have to put into this little charade of theirs. "We don't want to dwell on the fact that your father is a serial killer, we see you for who you are, not what he made you to be. I just wanted to clear that up."

"Thanks." She felt a little better knowing that they didn't hold it against her. "That means a lot."

"Your welcome." Amanda looked down at the picture on the table, of a girl riding a horse as David walked back in. "Did you draw that?"

"Yep. It's a little hobby of mine."

"She's quite good at it too." David added as he checked her chart. "That picture doesn't do justice to either of them though."

"Ah, so that's you in the drawing, is it?" Roger asked as he looked at it. "Yes, now I can see the resemblance."

"That's me and Lightning." She explained, happy to talk about something other then her past for a change. "He's my horse."

Amanda looked at Roger, a little concerned. "Kay never mentioned anything about a horse."

"No, she didn't." He agreed, then looked at Josie. "Josie, there might be a little problem there. You see, we're only on our place for another six months, then we have to move to town. There won't be any room for a horse."

Josie could read between the lines of what they were saying. "I'm not leaving him behind. Lightning comes with me. He means the world to me, that stallion."

"I'm sure he does." She shot her husband a look. They couldn't afford to blow it. "What he means to say is that we'll have to find a place for him at a stable or something when we move into town. You can bring him along, he doesn't need to be left."

"That's a relief." She replied, thankful that she wasn't going to have to be separated from her best friend. She covered her mouth with her hand, to stifle a yawn, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was getting tired. "Excuse me."

David could see that Josie was getting exhausted, knowing the girl needed some rest. "I think that will have to be enough for now." He turned to Amanda and Roger. "If you wouldn't mind, she does need to get some sleep. You can come back this afternoon, if you wish."

"Alright." Amanda nodded as she stood up, grateful that they could go. She didn't know how much longer she could keep the pleasant talk up for. "We'll come visit you again later Josie. You get some rest now."

"I will." Josie replied as they left, giving them a small smile and a wave. For foster carers, they didn't seem so bad. "They seem quite nice."

"Yes, they do." David agreed as he took Josie's blood pressure and wrote it down on her chart, hearing the girl yawn again. "You feeling tired, hey."

"A little, Dr. Ratcliffe."

"I think now you can call me just David Josie, I get sick of hearing my last name all the time." He joked slightly as he brushed the girls fringe out of her face. That wasn't a reason at all, but he was willing to let her call him by his first name, after all, she had taken a bit of a liking to him. And by liking, she hadn't punched him yet. "You get some sleep now. Geoff will be back soon and he'll want to check that gunshot wound when he gets here."

"Okay David." She snuggled down into the bed and closed her eyes as she placed her head on the pillow, feeling David pulling up the covers onto her. "Thanks."

"Your welcome Josie. Have a good nap." He placed the clipboard back on the end of the bed and walked out of the room, back to his office. As he sat at his desk, he couldn't help but feel a little wary of the people that would be taking Josie with them in a couple weeks. They had just seemed, so nice. Too nice maybe, and it had him bothered. In the week that Josie had been in their care, he couldn't help but feel just a little protective of her. The girl had already been through so much, she didn't need to be disappointed if they weren't all they were pretending to be. Maybe he was just over reacting, his judgement clouded by the fact that he cared about the girl, but still he felt that something wasn't quite right….

* * *

Nancy was tidying the hotel rooms the next morning, humming a little song as she made the beds. One thing she prided herself in was that the rooms were always kept clean and tidy, and in good condition. It took her nearly two hours every day to go through, make the beds and do a general clean up, but she never minded, well, except when the visitors left them dirtier then usual. She was just finishing up room nine, where the Anderson's were staying when a suitcase leaning up against the wall caught her eye. It wasn't the suitcase itself that interested her, it was the tag hanging off the handle. Wondering what it was, she walked over and had a quick peek at it. It was marked for a flight from Abuja, Nigeria, to Sydney, but was really puzzling was the fact that the names were different.

Wrinkling her forehead in confusion, she shook her head, then left the room. It was rather strange, and the dates on the tag were only a week ago. Strange. Taking a couple of careful strides back, she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her as she left. She placed the cleaning cloths she had used to dust the table down into their catty on the trolley, then she went downstairs into the kitchen. "Vic, I just found something really weird."

"Weird?" Vic looked up from his newspaper, placing his cup of coffee onto the table. "How?"

"Well, I was just cleaning the room that the Andersons are in." She saw the look of confusion on Vics face. "The Anderson's are the ones who are taking Josie in." Placing her hands on her hips as she reminded him. "But on their suitcase, their names aren't Roger and Amanda Anderson. They're Jim and Jenny Skillers."

"So?"

"Don't you see Vic?" She was slightly exasperated at his lack of care as he turned back to his papers. "This couple could be doing something highly illegal! They come back from Nigeria barely five days ago, then hop on a three day bus from Madura to Broken Hill in the same week. Doesn't it seem even slightly suspicious to you?

Vic folded his paper as he put it back down. He wasn't going to be doing any reading while Nancy was so worked up. "Nancy, it could just be that they could have borrowed the suitcase from a friend who went overseas and forgot to remove the tag, or they might have grabbed the wrong bag. Your probably just overreacting."

"Overreacting?" She repeated, her voice rising. "I'm not overreacting Vic Buckley! There is something going on, and I intend to find out what."

"Just don't go stirring trouble up. They're the only people that are qualified to take care of Josie, and if you go around accusing them of doing something suspicious, they might just back up and leave. Where would that leave Josie then? We can't take her in-"

"If Josie is involved, I'm willing to ruffle a few feathers." She took off her apron and threw it hastily onto the table. "I'm going to go and have a talk to Geoff. He'll pay more attention to me then you are right this moment." She shot him one last parting look as he divided behind his newspaper, then hurried out the door towards the RFDS base. Pausing to look before she crossed the road, she saw the couple going into the general store, wondering just what was going on. Was it somehow connected with the quick character change that had taken place in the Walsh woman? Somehow she felt it was. Opening the door, she walked in, seeing DJ at his seat in the radio office. "DJ, is Geoff around?"

DJ whirled around on his chair. "Yeh, he's in his office. I think he's sorting some stuff out."

"Alright, thanks DJ." She turned and walked down the hallway, then stood in the doorway of Geoff's office. "Knock knock."

"Nancy, come in." Geoff looked up from his work, motioning for her to sit down. "What brings you here?"

"Josie, actually. I'm rather concerned about the couple that are supposed to be taking care of her."

"Well, if it's any consolation, so am I." He put the last record he had been updating back into its folder. "Have you seen or heard anything that might be of interest?"

"Yes, actually. I was cleaning their room, like I do with all rooms when I noticed one of their suitcases. The tag on it to be precise. Geoff, the names on it wasnt Roger and Amanda Anderson, the names were Jim and Jenny Skillers. What's more interesting is the fact that they were luggage tickets, from Nigeria to Australia, and according to the days, they only just got back five days ago, to Sydney."

"I can see why that seems a little odd." He mused over what she had just said. "Because they said that they had come straight from Madura to Broken Hill."

"Exactly. I think there is something going on here. I could be wrong, but something just doesn't feel right."

"No, I agree." He got a blank post-it note and quickly wrote the names down on it. What he had just been told definitely warranted further investigating. "Thank you Nancy, I'll look into it. But please, don't tell anyone else your suspicions. We'll just keep it to ourselves for the moment."

"You won't need to worry about that. I can keep a secret." She stood up, glad that he at least had been interested in what she had discovered. "If I find out anything else, I'll come tell you straight away." She turned to leave, then another thought momentarily distracted her. "But if I were you Geoff, I wouldn't leave Josie unattended while they're around."


End file.
